The Meteorological Service of Jamaica, yesterday, (July 19) launched Jamaica’s first official Weather Application, Jamaica Weather.

The Weather App will improve the Meteorological Service’s capacity to effectively communicate short and medium-range forecasts in a more easily understood format to its various stakeholders enabling them to take necessary action.

Speaking at the launch event, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, stated that the App is critical to Jamaica and the country’s ability to plan.

“It will allow us to plan. It will allow us to make decisions that will guide our daily lives and that is incredibly important. It is one of the investments that have been made into building this predictability, into building this stability that will help us in making decisions…Climate Change is real and the basis of how we are going to plan for and adapt to the changing climate is indeed going to be based on the scientific assessment of what is likely to happen and the constant monitoring of changes in our weather patterns.”

Minister Samuda added that the government will be undertaking similar projects to develop the country’s capacity for analysis.

“The Met Service has other items that need to be digitized that need to flow into the appropriate sources that give us up-to-the-minute, up-to-the-second, information that will allow us to make decisions that will sometimes save lives. But it’s not the only element of government that we will be upgrading significantly. I want to put the country on notice that we will also be investing significantly and engaging partners to develop innovations like the one that is here”.

The Application, a deliverable under the Building Resilience Through Climate Adaptation Technologies, BReTCAT, seeks to adapt the latest weather service technology currently being used in developed meteorological organizations to the Jamaican environment with the inputs of the user communities.

BReTCAT was initiated through the partnership of Resurgence, a social enterprise based in the United Kingdom, and the Jamaica-based Caribbean Climate Innovation Centre (CCIC).

The Application is available on both the Apple and the Google Play Stores. Key features of Jamaica Weather include local weather forecasts, Hour-by-hour forecasts, forecast views, severe weather warnings, customizable forecasts, and sunset and sunset times.

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Minister with responsibility for Water in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the investment of $770 Million to undertake major infrastructure work in St. Andrew by the National Water Commission will increase the utility’s footprint in the metropolitan area.

Minister Samuda who toured the $320 million Mona Sewer Expansion Project in Eastern St. Andrew, as well as the $450 million Waltham Park/Whitfield Town Water Supply Project in East Central St. Andrew, yesterday (June 22, 2023) says the National Water Commission (NWC) is deploying capital at a faster rate, in a bid to increase the utility’s footprint across the island.

‘We are deploying capital at a faster rate than ever before from the NWC. Last year was four billion dollars in infrastructure projects. This year we will be deploying some seven billion dollars” Minister Samuda noted while touring the Mona Sewer Project.

Minister Samuda explained that the project was undertaken as part of the NWC’s strategic goal to expand its sewerage coverage to 30% by the year 2030.   He added that with several households in the Mona area being dependent on individual soak-away systems, there was a significant strain on the natural environment.

“The way we’ve developed with backyard pits is not the best way for us, and we’re playing catch up in many ways…This project is indeed critical to the environmental health of the water table in Kingston 6 and Kingston 8 and is a part of much more work to come”, the Minister said.

Meanwhile, Minister Samuda says the upgrade to the water distribution system in the Waltham Park/Whitfield Town area is necessary as the community’s infrastructure had suffered from chronic under-investment over the past few decades and had passed its useful life.

“Much of it (the distribution network) was collapsing, and beyond that, it was no longer sufficient in terms of its size and carrying capacity, for the growth that we have seen in the community”.

Minister Samuda added that the work being undertaken is not the only “fix” that would be required.

“We do know that we are in a drought, so although the new piping is there, there is a regulated supply in the space. This will come to an end when we have completed our project at Content in St. Catherine, which is the Rio Cobre Water Treatment Plant that will bring in some fifteen and a half million gallons daily into Kingston and St. Andrew.  Our current shortfall in the worst of the drought is approximately 7 million gallons, so that should give you an idea of the significant upgrade and the significant improvement that will be there for the citizens of Kingston and St Andrew and indeed Portmore”.

Approximately 20-thousand customers in the Waltham Park/Whitfield Town area will benefit from the upgraded water distribution network, while some 1800 households in Mona Heights will benefit from the Mona Sewer Expansion Project.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Hon. Clifford Warmington, broke ground today (June 15, 2023) for the $119 million rehabilitation of the Natural Bridge to Troja Road Rehabilitation Project in North Eastern St. Catherine.

“The significance of this project cannot be overstated, as it will form part of a larger transformation which will have cascading effects on our economy, stimulate growth in various sectors as well as create countless employment opportunities”, expressed Minister Warmington.

The 10-kilometer stretch of road which serves several communities, is being rehabilitated under the National Works Agency’s Maintenance of Secondary Roads Programme.

“The overall scope of works includes installation of pipe culverts, construction of parapet walls, bushing and trimming of banks as well as the reshaping and asphalting of the worst affected sections of the roadway.  We are also undertaking the construction of seven (7) retaining walls and six (6) Fords under this contract. At the end of the contract period, which is slated to last for eight months, seven of the 10 kilometers stretch will be fully rehabilitated”, Minister Warmington explained.

The Minister added that the remaining three kilometers also need attention, considering the heavy rains experienced in the last two weeks.

“I spoke to the parish manager who I asked to prepare a scope of work, so from the section below Harewood to the Yellow Bridge, that section will be addressed along with this current contract.  Also, from the Yellow Bridge going to Riversdale, there are some very bad conditions there, and those also will be addressed. So, the entire section from Natural Bridge to Troja and from the Yellow Bridge to Riversdale will also be included or addressed while this work is being done”.

Noting that roads are the lifelines of the nation, Minister Warmington said the rehabilitated new Bridge to Troja Road forms part of the government’s comprehensive plan to create a road network that is efficient, safe and environmentally friendly.

“This $119 million road rehabilitation project symbolizes our commitment to sustainable development and our unwavering dedication to improving the lives of our citizens. We understand the frustration caused by dilapidated roads, traffic congestion, and the hindrances they pose to economic development. Therefore, we have formulated an inclusive and ambitious plan to address these challenges head-on”.

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Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, has called for integration and coordination among Caribbean countries and Mexico in tackling the issue of sargassum bloom which affects many countries of the region.

“The biggest opportunity that has come up to tackle this problem is the opportunity for integration and coordination…Even though many of us are proceeding and investing in our academic capacity to do the research in terms of usage and best practices for handling this material, the real opportunity is going to come from our coordination.  Coordination on early warning systems, coordination in data systems”, stated Minister Samuda.

Minister Samuda was participating in a panel discussion at the second session of the Greater Caribbean – EU Regional Conference on Sargassum, today (June 15, 2023), in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic.

Pointing to the massive costs associated with the removal, storage, and processing of sargassum bloom, Minister Samuda asserted that the countries of the region must look at the mechanisms for finance.

“The amount is one issue. GCF generally tries to fund climate additionality, but this is now a major impact.  We are going to have to target the Adaptation Fund as a region with a very detailed, well-thought-out proposal to get them behind us.  We don’t have a lot of time.  The reality is…the 2030 impact is likely to be way worse than the current impact”, the Minister declared.

Minister Samuda noted that although Jamaica had not experienced the level of sargassum as its neighbours in the region, the northeastern and south-central parts of the island had been affected the worst.

“Where we’ve had the greatest impact has actually been in our fisheries sector, so we continue to explore the varying mechanisms for early detection and for supporting our fishers.  We’ve had to give social support where they’ve had reduced fishing, but we have not engaged in mass harvesting or wide-scale harvesting of the sargassum” the Minister explained.

He added that with warming ocean temperatures and with particular (ocean) currents, within the next two to three years Jamaica could experience sargassum bloom on the level of other countries in the region.  As such, the country is looking at the commercial scale opportunities that will create the economic ability to remove sargassum.

The Greater Caribbean – EU Regional Conference on Sargassum brings together, the authorities that manage the coastlines of the Caribbean basin and the Gulf of Mexico, as well as the scientific and private communities, non-governmental organizations, and actors involved in research, monitoring, prevention, containment, use, treatment, recovery, and disposal of sargassum biomass.

Sargassum is a brown marine alga that is generally found in the Sargasso Sea of the Atlantic Ocean; it is a free-floating seaweed that does not attach to the ocean floor and its movements depend solely on ocean currents.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Clifford E. Warmington, broke ground yesterday (June 8, 2023) for phase one of the Jackson Town to Ulster Spring Road Upgrading Project in Southern Trelawny.

Minister Warmington says this is in response to a tour he conducted of the area in 2022.

“As a result of that tour, an allocation for Phase One of J$205,234,030 was made available to commence rehabilitation of the Jackson Town to Ulster Spring stretch of road because it is vital to social economic activities”, stated Minister Warmington.

He says the road was in very poor condition and in need of rehabilitation work, hence the allocation.

“Phase one of the project will be carried out along the control section with starting point at the Jackson Town Post Office, and ending at the Sawyers Primary School which is 5.2 kilometers south. The scope of works will include demolition and site clearance, drain cleaning, drainage construction pavement works, construction of retaining walls, road marking, and the installation of guard rails as well as kerb and channel”, explained Minister Warmington.

Minister Warmington explained that the roadway is a main thoroughfare for the western end of the country into Manchester from Montego Bay via Trelawny and is the main vein utilized by emergency vehicles seeking to access the Falmouth Hospital from surrounding districts.

The Minister disclosed that Phase Two of the road rehabilitation project which is estimated to cost J$224. 7 million, had already gone through the tender process.

Minister Warmington noted that other projects slated to commence in the parish shortly include Stewart Town to Rock at a cost of J$27 million; Stettin to Highgate Hall for J$53.7 million; Clarks Town to Jackson Town for J$37.2 million; Albert Town to Troy for J$14.5 million and Dixon Street at a cost of J$26.6 million dollars.

Minister Warmington gave the assurance that all projects will be completed in this financial year.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, today (June 8, 2023) commissioned the Padmore and Sterling Castle Pipeline Replacement Projects in West Rural St. Andrew.

Approximately 900 residents will benefit from the pipe replacement and upgrading works on both projects.

Minister Samuda says the one-inch main line, in Padmore, was upgraded to a four-inch supply pipeline at a cost of $26 million.

“This upgrade was necessary as the one-inch main line at Padmore, which is supplied by the Barnettwood system, was inadequate to serve the growing population in the community.  As such, the decision was taken to install some 1.6 kilometers of four-inch supply pipeline” Minister Samuda noted.

In Sterling Castle, the $9 million pipe upgrading was undertaken to increase revenue collection and lessen losses. It involved the laying of approximately 90 lengths of 4-inch PVC pipeline; the installation of metered connections for non-registered customers and civil repair works as well as valve repairs and/or replacement.

For many years, customers along Sterling Castle Heights Road, which is served from the Forest Hill Deep Well, via the Brentwood Relift Station, received water by means of informal connections. This often resulted in significant wastage of water and losses in revenue collection.

“The expense of leaking water mains and aging pipes was significant and led to significant losses which impacted on the reliability and quality of the water being distributed. The upgrading of the piping infrastructure will result in approximately 100 new supplies being formally connected, whilst also anticipating future housing development in the area”, the Minister stated.

Customers who have been regularized, are now served a minimum of three days per week and enjoy supply from formally metered connections.  The project will also eliminate the costs of trucking water to the service area, improve storage capacity and enhance operational resilience while mitigating losses.

“The targeted programme of works being undertaken in Sterling Castle, in Padmore, and indeed across the length and breadth of Jamaica, will ensure that the cries for water by residents in formerly unserved or underserved communities are relegated to the past” Minister Samuda declared.

The Minister urged the residents to do their part to ensure that the supplies of potable water are sustained.

“I encourage residents, who will be supplied by the replacement pipeline, in both Sterling Castle and Padmore, to manage their water usage effectively. Notify the NWC if you happen to notice any leakages or broken pipes”.

He also noted that despite the recent rainfall, the country is not out of the woods in terms of drought conditions.  He urged customers to continue to remain vigilant and conserve their use of water.

“If you have rainwater harvesting systems at your homes, use the opportunity to collect rainfall when it presents itself.  We must begin to think ‘outside the box’ in terms of our water security and plan accordingly for the future”, the Minister stated.
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Minister with responsibility for the Works Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Clifford E. Warmington has disclosed that the National Works Agency, NWA, will replace a number of bridges island-wide at a cost of over $1.2 billion.

Speaking yesterday (May 31, 2023), during his Sectoral Presentation in Parliament, Minister Warmington noted that the NWA has already completed the design parameters for eight of ten bridges with the designs for another two bridges scheduled to be completed by the end of August this year.

“Over the years, under the heading of bridges, we were only allocated about $70 million. This amount very often could not fix even one structure, so many were unable to be repaired. Thankfully, Madam Speaker, this year we have a significant change which we intend to make it possible for more people to “cross it” and do so safely”.

The bridges to receive attention during this fiscal year are Troy in Trelawny; Craigmill in Portland; Spring Village and Guanaboa Vale in St. Catherine; Southwood in Clarendon; Barham and Shewsbury/Logwood in Westmoreland; Mahogany Vale in St. Thomas; Penfield in St. Andrew and Woodsville in Hanover.

Minister Warmington further disclosed that a rail repair programme would also be carried out on bridges in St. James and St. Elizabeth.

“I have been travelling around the Island and I see many bridges without rails. I have instructed that we urgently implement a programme for the repairs of some of these rails. This year, we will be targeting some fifteen bridges in St. James and St. Elizabeth, where rails need to be replaced. We intend to spend some $35 million on this effort”, the Minister stated.

The bridges in St. James that will benefit under the programme include Howard Cooke Bridge; West Gate Bridge; John’s Hall Bridge; Retrieve Bridge; Seven Rivers Bridge; Ducketts Bridge; Great River Bridge and the Niagara Bridge.

“In St. Elizabeth, we will be implementing a permanent fix to the ongoing problem of missing rails on the Lacovia Bridge” Minister Warmington disclosed.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Clifford E. Warmington, says the component of the Southern Coastal Highway Improvement Project (SCHIP) from Harbour View in St. Andrew to Yallahs in St. Thomas is now 93% complete.

Making his Sectoral Presentation in Parliament yesterday (May 31, 2023), Minister Warmington disclosed that this section of the SCHIP would be complete by the end of August 2023.

“I can assure you that when next I speak in this Honourable House, it will be on the many benefits associated with this new 17 kilometer-plus stretch of four lane
highway”.

The Minister added that several communities would benefit directly from the road work.

“All the communities between Yallahs and Prospect will boast new road, water and telecoms infrastructure at 100% completion before the end of 2023. So too will those communities from Morant Bay all the way to Cedar Valley. As I speak to you today, we are over 90% complete with the works from Morant Bay to Cedar Valley. These works will be completed by the end of August 2023”.

Minister Warmington further stated that under the SCHIP, 37 bridges and box culverts had been completed to date.

“We have another 14 to be completed. Through this programme, we are providing the SPARK to better resilience in moving around the parishes of Portland and St. Thomas in any weather. Madam Speaker, places like Serge Island, Seaforth, Georgia and New Monkland, where poor infrastructure had been their lot can say for the foreseeable future, no more”, the Minister affirmed.

He added that to date, approximately US$266.2 million had been expended on the projects in the East, including Harbour View to Yallahs. This sum, he said, included a capital outlay for the installation of new water infrastructure.

In the meantime, Minister Warmington also noted that work on Tranche Three projects under the SCHIP would get underway this fiscal year.

“We have another five road sections, three in St. Thomas and two in Portland, to complete the programme of works. This we are referring to as Tranche Three projects.”

Tranche Three works encompass Prospect to Arcadia, St. Thomas; Arcadia to Amity Hall, St. Thomas; Amity Hall to Hordley, St. Thomas; Long Road to Manchioneal, Portland and Fair Prospect to Boston, Portland.

“Madam Speaker, we are speaking about another 36 Kilometers of brand-new road. We are modernizing the east through our infrastructural developments. The process to contract the works is now actively underway and we expect that the works, once they commence before the end of this fiscal year, will be completed by March 2025”.

Minister Warmington said important lessons had been learned in the implementation of the other projects and would be taken on board in carrying out the last five projects.

“We will not, under any circumstances, tolerate anything that will cause undue hardships to the public during the execution of these works” the Minister declared.

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The Government is moving to implement a $40 billion road improvement project to modernize over two thousand (2,000) roads islandwide, under the “Shared Prosperity through Accelerated Improvement to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme”.

 

Minister with responsibility for the Works Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Clifford E. Warmington, made the announcement during his Sectoral Presentation in Parliament today (May 31, 2023).

 

Minister Warmington described SPARK as a “major game changer” in the push to improve the condition of roads across the country.

 

“This Administration considers the intervention as an emergency, within the context of road-related injuries and fatalities, as well as the deteriorating state of the public thoroughfare, resulting from decades of underinvestment.  The vision is to create a transport network that is safe, efficient, and reliable to meet Jamaica’s economic and social needs”, the Minister stated.

 

The key objectives of the programme include improving the targeted road surfaces; improving intersections along targeted urban corridors; installing localized drainage; improving road safety through the construction of retaining walls and installation of guard rails and installing pedestrian facilities at selected locations.

 

“The expected outcomes to be derived from the initiative include improved road safety; better-localized drainage; reduction in travel time; reduction in vehicle operating costs (VOC) and reduction in Motor Vehicle carbon emissions”, the Minister noted.

 

He explained that six criteria would determine which roads would receive attention under the programme. They include “traffic volume; the condition of the road; safety factors such as reducing accidents or increasing emergency response times; cost; ease of implementation and social impacts such as increased access to services or decreased social cohesion”.

 

Minister Warmington said it is expected that the programme will provide the SPARK that will see economic activities returning to some areas and employment numbers trending upward.

Jamaica’s Blue Economy benefits from US$400,000 in technical assistance administered by the World Bank through the PROBLUE Trust Fund Initiative, which is aimed at supporting the sustainable development of blue economies of Small Island Developing States.

Speaking yesterday (Wednesday, May 24, 2023) at the Jamaica Blue Economy Framework Project Stakeholders’ Validation Workshop in Kingston, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, noted that the Project facilitated a baseline assessment of Jamaica’s blue economy, which has been expanded to include the development of a draft roadmap and financing options paper.

“We have been taking care of the development of the varying sectors and segments of our blue economy; what we have lacked for a long time is cohesive strategy and management, and I think this roadmap and this exercise give you that route to cohesion and that is something that we are particularly excited about,” Minister Samuda said.

Minister Samuda added that “the implementation of the recommendations under the roadmap will indeed provide Jamaica with the opportunity to use the Blue Economy to realize the development aspirations reflected in Vision 2030”.

The Blue Economy Framework Project aims to create an enabling environment for the further development of Jamaica’s blue economy and the sustainable use and management of the country’s ocean and marine resources.

“The project can set us on a more cohesive path. We need to work in a manner that accepts the scale of the opportunity that the blue economy provides us…the blue economy can be three trillion (dollars) in 15 years if we do the right things today,” the Minister noted.

Minister Samuda further noted that the Blue Economy offers Jamaica huge opportunities for sustainable economic development, adding that its contribution to Gross Domestic Product is approximately 20 percent.

“Our ocean’s resources are not unending; they are vast but not unending. Therefore, the sustainable management of our blue assets is also important,” he added.

Minister Samuda listed among the assets of the island’s blue economy, the significant opportunities for sustainable fishery practices; the ability to supply the regional needs of jobs in the blue economy, as well as the investment in blue talent and ocean education through institutions such as the Caribbean Maritime University and the University of Technology.

The ‘PROBLUE’ initiative involves a US$200 million multi-donor trust fund administered by the Bank and is aimed at helping countries, such as Jamaica, to chart their course toward a sustainable blue economy.
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