ST ANN, Jamaica— More than 10,000 residents of Exchange and surrounding communities in St Ann northeastern will have increased access to water supply, following the completion of work on the Exchange White River re-lift station and replacement of the Upton tank.

The facilities, which were upgraded by the National Water Commission (NWC) at a cost of $141 million, were recently commissioned into service by Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda, in White River, Ocho Rios.

The project will result in NWC customers in the area now receiving water approximately 22 hours per day.

In his address, Samuda said that the upgraded facilities will benefit residents of Exchange, Bonham Spring, White River, parts of Eltham and Lodge.

He added that the project reflects the commitment of the Government to boosting the efficiency and service reliance of the NWC.

“If we are to bring Vision 2030 to life, bringing potable water to the people of Jamaica is indeed a mandatory pillar of that strategy. With today’s commissioning, we know that we are benefiting upwards of 10,000 persons and 2,500 [NWC] accounts in this area,” he said.

Samuda then encouraged residents to report unscrupulous individuals who are illegally abstracting water from NWC lines.

“The reality is, we cannot continue to do these upgrades if we do not have the orderly participation from citizens. If you see someone accessing a water line illegally, they’re putting the entire network at risk, because nine times out of 10 they’re not plumbers or engineers. So, you’re risking your water for them to get free water,” he stated.

Meanwhile, regional manager of NWC for St Ann, St Mary, and Portland, Richard Williams, said that the upgraded system is in keeping with the strategic objective of the Commission to improve operational efficiency and grow revenue.

Work on the re-lift station included the replacement of all electromechanical equipment, upgrade of power supply and pumps from 124hp to 200hp, and the installation of new electronic soft starters.

In addition, the 50,000-gallon steel Upton tank was replaced with a new 100,000-gallon reinforced glass-infused structure.

The project also included the replacement of 3.6 kilometres of four-inch polyvinyl chloride (PVC) pipes; 0.2-kilometre of 55-millimetre PVC and galvanized iron (GI) pipes; and the installation of two four-inch pressure-reducing valves in the Exchange community.