Prime Minister the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, broke ground for the much anticipated Portmore Resilience Park on Wednesday, January 17, 2024.

Speaking at the groundbreaking event, Prime Minister Holness says the multi-faceted recreational and wellness park, is part of the Government’s caring agenda and represents a massive investment totaling $4.4 billion, which will come from the Government’s budget.

“We are not borrowing to do this.  Of course, we all listen to what the people say and the people of Portmore have always been saying we need safe, well-built social spaces, and they have been saying this for a long time. This park is part of our caring agenda.  It’s part of saying to you, look we know you need a place that you can jog around in the mornings, that you can just stroll around, that you can spread a picnic blanket and just chill with your friends, or just gather in a safe and clean place, or have a concert. That is how you build the care”, he stated.

The Prime Minister outlined that of the 26 acres comprising the park, 4.5 acres will be reserved for a transportation hub.  Of the remaining 21.5 acres, 18.5 acres will be used for the park itself and 2.75 acres will be allotted for commercial spaces, which he noted would help to subsidize the management cost of the park.

He further explained that smart and green technology will be utilized at the park.

“Solar will be used right throughout, to ensure that we have electricity to operate our pumps and lights and to ensure that we can have proper irrigation so that the park can indeed be green and verdant in its appearance.  We will be making provision for conservation including rainwater harvesting and we expect that we will have about 75 thousand gallons of water that we will be able to harvest from the 26 acres”, he noted.

The park is expected to create about 400 jobs and 200 indirect jobs during its construction phase and will provide about 70 jobs and 30 indirect jobs during its operational phase.

Work is expected to commence on February 5, 2024, with completion expected by September 2025.

 

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For the very first time, some 800 residents from 200 households in Lime Bottom, near Shaw Park in St. Ann, are receiving a more reliable water supply, thanks to a new J$24 million pipeline project, implemented by the National Water Commission (NWC).

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, toured Phase One of the pipeline project on Friday, December 22, 2023, along with Councillor Michael Belnavis, and senior officials of the NWC.

The work in Lime Bottom is part of the NWC’s thrust to extend its network and to bring more reliable water supply to several areas that historically had no formal water supply.

According to Minister Samuda, the work being undertaken would result in a total increase in the distribution network by some two kilometers.

“There’s a section which will carry the line further up the hill and will service a further 200- households.  That work is underway and will be completed shortly. The project is targeting 300 households by the time we have done all the work, but we expect to be over 200 within the next two weeks” the Minister stated.

Before the implementation of the project, residents had installed informal connections at numerous points, to the NWC mains. These individual lines then traversed several hundred feet to several resident’s homes.

Work on the project included the removal of the existing informal lines from the NWC’s network; the installation of the four-inch main to serve as a distribution line, as well as the installation of customer connections to the new supply line.

Minister Samuda who engaged with the residents during the tour, said illegal connections not only result in a loss of revenue for the NWC but also damage its network.

“We need all citizens to reject water theft. It’s not in anyone’s interest for someone to illegally breach the system and connect. It costs us way more than the water they take because invariably that is where the leaks start because people are not connecting properly”, he stated.

He implored the citizens to report illegal connections, adding that the NWC would work with customers to ensure they are regularized.

“Sometimes you run a line and you get a call that people don’t know that they had to sign up or they don’t know the process, so we’ve been working with the community over the last three or four days going house to house to ensure that they all know the process and how they sign up and what documents they have to have and that process will continue apace for the next couple of days to ensure that the community sees the benefit of this construction”, he noted.

 

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Over 5,000 residents of several communities in East Central St. James will experience improvements to their water supply thanks to a $169.2 million project executed by the Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) and the National Water Commission (NWC).
 
The project is Phase 1 of the Canaan-Adelphi Water Supply System, which is being upgraded by the NWC at a cost of $869 million, to improve supply to the ever-growing communities in the area.
 
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda commissioned the first phase of the project yesterday (December 14, 2023).

This phase involved the construction of a 300,000-gallon tank at Cedar Hill; the installation of three (3) new pumps at the Canaan Deep-well site; and the installation of 500 meters of 400 mm pipeline from the old tank site to the new tank site in Cedar Hill by Rural Water Supply Limited at a cost of $149 million.

“The project is $149 million invested in the people of East Central St. James, because ‘water is life’ and we say that lightly.  But the development prospects of any community are based on water availability, so this is an investment, a true investment in the future of this area”, the Minister noted.  

An additional $20 million was expended by the NWC, for the installation of 4-inch and 2-inch pipelines from Cedar Hill to Somerton.
 
The benefits of the project include more energy-efficient pumps that will result in increased water production with less pumping time, thereby improving operational efficiency, energy consumption, and sustainable pressure levels.  In addition, the 300,000-gallon bolted steel tank will assist in ensuring that adequate storage capacity is on the system to provide water in the event of power cuts or service disruption in the pipeline.
 
Meanwhile, Minister Samuda noted that the NWC was experiencing the first surplus in its history which gave it the fiscal space to invest in projects such as the Canaan-Adelphi Water Supply. 
 
“We hope this gives you the confidence to understand that when we do commit to spending on the next phase as a part of the J$869 million (investment), that it is coming, that every couple of months we will have an updated report, and that the situation will ease”, he said. 
 
Minister Samuda expressed appreciation to the residents for their patience and support during the execution of the Cedar Hill Tank project.
 
“We are here to serve you better with an improved water supply.  Although these projects take time, they are guaranteed to provide you with sustainable water access”, he stated.
 
For his part, Member of Parliament for East Central St. James, Hon. Edmund Bartlett, expressed his thanks to the Prime Minister, Minister Samuda, the Tourism Enhancement Fund which provided a grant towards improvements to the Canaan-Adelphi Water Supply system, as well as the executing agencies on the project, the NWC and RWSL.
 
The project, when completed, will be able to service approximately 40,000 people up to its designed life, which is 2053.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, endorsed Nature-based Solutions in fortifying disaster resilience along the coastal areas of Jamaica.
 
Minister Samuda, currently participating in the 28^th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (COP) being held in Dubai, commented during the Nature for Climate Action Ministerial: Enhancing Cooperation on Nature for Climate Action session held on Monday, December 4.
 
“NbS and current initiatives, such as protected area management (Special Fishery Conservation Areas), mangrove restoration, and coral restoration, exemplify the country’s commitment to building back better in the face of climate change,” he said.
 
Minister Samuda noted that while climate change poses a significant threat to marine ecosystems, biodiversity, and livelihoods, support through the Caribbean Biodiversity Fund, the Climate Investment Fund, and the climate-resilience project called ‘CityAdapt’ has been cushioning the blow of climatic events.
 
“The CityAdapt in particular, is restoring 2 hectares of wetlands to reduce coastal erosion and flooding, along with 2.3 hectares of an urban park with 1,400 trees in Kingston. The project is being implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) and financed by the Global Environment Facility through its Special Climate Change Fund,” Minister Samuda said.
 
Minister Samuda is leading the delegation at COP28, also known as the Investment COP, which runs from 30 November until 12 December 2023.

  

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, announced that this 28th staging of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), will provide a platform for Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to continue lobbying for decarbonisation of carbon emitters.

Minister Samuda is leading the delegation at COP 28, which is being hosted in Expo City, Dubai by the United Arab Emirates, from November 30 – December 12, 2023.

COP 28 will be held under the theme ‘Unite. Act. Deliver’ and is being labelled the Investment COP. It is aimed at uniting the world towards agreement on bold, practical, and ambitious solutions to the most pressing global challenge of our time, climate change.

“We are currently seeing grave effects of climate change on our lives and livelihood. The negotiation of our future is critical to our existence on this planet, and with the scientists informing us that our collective actions are severely impacting global temperatures, we must do our best to ensure that we lobby those who continue to use fossil fuels in their operations,” Minister Samuda said.

Minister Samuda also noted that this is a good opportunity for the Loss and Damage Fund to be operationalised as a commitment was made at COP 27 last year, for the establishment of the Fund.

The COP 28, along with related sessions, is an opportunity to continue calling for the urgent actions needed by the global community. This includes but is not limited to mitigation action; trading in carbon emissions; building resilience; addressing loss and damage associated with climate change; and increasing climate finance opportunities.

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Prime Minister Andrew Holness says formalizing land ownership for all Jamaicans is a high priority.

In this regard, the government will allocate an additional one billion dollars to the Systematic Land Registration Programme, to increase the distribution of land titles to citizens who occupy unregistered lands.

The Prime Minister said: “Out of the central government budget, we will allocate another one billion dollars towards land titling to make sure this process continues. Land titling is absolutely important for the development of the country. The ambition of this government is to have every Jamaican who owns or occupies a piece of land now, to go through the formal process to determine whether they can be legally ascribed a title of ownership; that is what we are committing to do.”

Prime Minister Holness made the announcement on Tuesday (November 21, 2023) at the National Land Agency’s (NLA) fourth Titling Ceremony in Bog Walk, St. Catherine.

It is estimated that there are approximately 300,000 unregistered lands in Jamaica. As such, the NLA is developing the technical and administrative expertise to manage the extensive programme.

In the meantime, the Prime Minister called on citizens to continue to empower legislators who have a track record of implementing policies and procedures for the betterment of the country.

“Your government is not just talking about these issues. I’m sure you would have heard many speeches before on a populist platform [saying] We’re going to give everyone land. We’re going to give everyone a title, and it didn’t happen. We are a government that gets things done. I want you, today, to empower the doers. Empower the people who get things done. I’m confident that I’m not coming here to make a promise to you. What I’m doing here today is giving you a report on how things are getting done,” said Prime Minister Holness.

Since the launch of the Systematic Land Registration Programme in 2021, the NLA has distributed over 8,700 of the targeted 12,000 land titles to be delivered in the first phase which is to end by 2025.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, has stated that a healthy ocean is critical to Jamaica’s economy.
 
Minister Samuda, who was speaking recently at the Regional Launch of the Blue Justice Caribbean Hub in Kingston, noted that the ocean is an integral part of Jamaica’s cultural identity, and is critical to economic growth and development and the well-being of Jamaicans.
 
“Jamaica has long said that ocean health will lead to ocean wealth. This is why Jamaica is a member of the high-level panel for a sustainable ocean economy. Indeed, the country’s key economic drivers are dependent on a healthy ocean. These include tourism, fisheries, shipping, and logistics services. This has been so through two colonial powers and certainly post-independence. This awesome EEZ (Exclusive Economic Zone) that we enjoy, I would posit, potentially represents greater economic value than the activity we have on land”, the Minister stated. 
 
As such, Minister Samuda added that Jamaica, which is often listed as a Small Island Developing State, needs to shift its mindset to think of itself as a large and powerful ocean state.
 
“I believe initiatives such as this (the Blue Justice Caribbean Hub), backed with the appropriate investments into the capacity of the National Fisheries Authority, into the JDF (Jamaica Defence Force)  through its maritime operations and of course, into the JCF (Jamaica Constabulary Force) through its maritime operations, strengthen the potential and the trajectory for Jamaica to truly establish itself, not just as a country with an EEZ twenty-four times its size, but as that powerful ocean state”, the Minister noted. 
 
Minister Samuda commended the conceptualizers of the Blue Justice Caribbean Hub, which is a regional hub to strengthen cooperation and coordination in the use of innovation and digital technology to fight fisheries crimes, adding that it is initiatives such as this that will make a sustainable ocean economy possible.
 
He added his voice in calling for persons to use this platform to ensure that the JDF and the JCF can properly use the limited resources they have to provide the security that we need for Jamaica’s EEZ.
 
Minister Samuda said that Jamaica is a member of the High Ambition Coalition.
 
He said “Even before the Global Biodiversity Framework was signed last year, Jamaica had committed that it would protect 30 percent of its land mass, and 30 percent of its EEZ by 2030. We have some work to do because we are over 25 percent of our land mass, and we will get to 40 percent by 2030. But we are lagging with some of the protected areas that we need to look at in our EEZ…we are at about 15 percent”.
 
In closing, Minister Samuda made a call for citizens to join the move in protecting our EEZ. “It will require resources. But it also requires the commitment of everyone in this room to help us carry the message so that the public understands that this ocean, which surrounds us, provides amazing opportunities through the right mix of protection, the right policies, the right oversight, and the right enforcement to yield significant economic gain”.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, who has portfolio responsibility for Water, says an all-of-government approach is being taken to effect major improvements to the water supply in Old Harbour and surrounding communities in South West St. Catherine.

Minister Samuda made the comment yesterday (November 16, 2023), during a tour of several water supply systems in South West St. Catherine. He was joined on the tour by Member of Parliament for the constituency Hon. Clifford Warmington.

The tour included the Colbeck Treatment Plant that serves the Bois Content and Planters Hall Areas, the Russell Graham Well, Davis Primary where a rainwater Harvesting System was installed by Rural Water Supply Limited, as well as Bartons.

“What the public should be aware of today is that it is an all-of-government approach that has taken place, with the assessment being done in the areas around Old Harbour. We have with us, the NWC and its senior team led by Acting President Kevin Kerr, we have Mr. Audley Thompson from Rural Water and we are in close contact with the teams from the Water Resources Authority and at the National Irrigation Commission (NIC), to ensure that a cohesive position is arrived at”, the Minister stated.

Minister Samuda noted that the constituency is one of the more unique areas, in that it includes a heavily urbanized town centre, as well as deep rural communities. He added that if the country is to achieve the Vision 2030 target of ensuring that all Jamaicans have access to potable water and sanitation, a constituency such as South West St. Catherine has to receive major focus.

“The significant housing developments that have come into this constituency and those that are to come require us to upgrade the infrastructure significantly. We also do not want to lose the connection with the rural roots that surround the town of Old Harbour. We want to ensure that people aren’t forced necessarily to move from the communities that they are in, to get access to the amenities” the Minister stated.

Noting that some of the upgrades to the water systems in the constituency have been on the books since 2008, Minister Samuda said the water agencies will be working very closely with the Ministry of Finance over the next 18 months, to ensure that the provision of resources, matches the urgent need for upgrades.

“We expect to be able to start some minor works in January. Come the new budget in April, we will definitely include some of the distribution issues that the constituency is having. We will be working to upgrade the wells that need to be upgraded, and we will be working with the NIC to ensure that we get access to new wells for the community” Minister Samuda explained.

The comprehensive programme of works at an estimated cost of J$965 million, include a Non-Revenue Water Reduction and Control Programme, well rehabilitation and upgrading, leak detection and pipe repair, the supply and installation of electro-mechanical pumping equipment, the installation of interconnecting, transmission and secondary pipelines, as well as storage tanks.

Meanwhile, Minister Warmington noted that discussions were also held regarding Terminal Street and the extension of the NWC network into the Old Harbour fishing village.

“I mentioned also, we didn’t get a chance to go there, is Terminal Street where the water supply service ends at Burkefield Meadows but the others go all the way down to JPS and to the beach. They don’t get any service from the Water Commission. They get service from the Jamaica Public Service well supply which is untreated. So, I’m hoping and asking that we see if we can extend the supply from Burkefield to go down there”, Minister Warmington Said.

Minister Warmington thanked Minister Samuda and the teams from the NWC and RWSL for visiting the constituency to assess the water systems.

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The National Water Commission (NWC) has acquired 30 new Isuzu pick-up trucks at a cost of J$200 million, in a move to enhance its operations and increase service delivery.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda who viewed the new vehicles at the NWC’s Marescaux Road compound yesterday (November 8, 2023), said the acquisition forms part of the planned phasing out of the Commission’s aging fleet.

Minister Samuda said this would ensure that the NWC’s maintenance department as well as its activities in the field are supported by the necessary transportation.

“We have committed to ensuring that the National Water Commission has the equipment it needs and has the skill sets that it needs. But we know that with skills sets, you (also) require the appropriate tools. The NWC does have an aging fleet, so this is a step in modernizing that fleet”, he stated.

The procurement of the vehicles is a welcomed move, as on a daily basis, various teams from the NWC are dispatched to operate and monitor more than one thousand (1000) water supply facilities islandwide, as well as 350 storage tank facilities, many of which are situated in remote locations.

In addition, the NWC monitors some 12,000 kilometers of pipeline that are installed across the island and carries out other functions including meter reading, as well as the collection and distribution of material for its daily operations.

Meanwhile, Minister Samuda also noted that the NWC would be moving to procure an additional six (6) water trucks.

“We know that the emergency service requires the NWC to be able to respond to drought when it does come…we are investing in serving you at the level that you deserve to be served”, the Minister stated.

Last year September, the NWC acquired eight (8) water trucks at a cost of over J$114.8 million, as part of the drought alleviation measures which effectively increased its fleet to over 400 vehicles.

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Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says that Jamaica continues to invest in technology and develop mechanisms that enable the country to mitigate the risks associated with climate change.
 
He says the country has a long way to go but there is political commitment and technical expertise to implement the required systems.
 
“Jamaica is no less vulnerable…we have a long way to go if we are to bring political commitment to meet with investment to meet with implementation. But we certainly can acknowledge that there is political will, there is technical expertise to ensure that we complete these early warning systems,” stated Minister Samuda.
 
Minister Samuda was addressing a session, yesterday (October 24, 2023), organized by the Caribbean Meteorological Organization (CMO) at Latin America and the Caribbean Climate Week being held in Panama City.  
 
“Through the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, which falls under the Prime Minister, we have launched a few mechanisms that force agencies and MDAs  (Ministries, Agencies and Departments)generally to work together.  One is the Integrated Water Resource Management Council (IWRMC) which brings all things water, all things weather together into regular quarterly meetings” the Minister noted.
 
He noted however that the drought conditions over the last three years have impacted the country’s mitigation efforts.
 
“Through the cooperation with the Meteorological Service and the Water Resources Authority (WRA), the government is moving to develop early warning systems and long-term measuring metrics to ensure that we know where we are. The issue Jamaica has had over the last three years is chronic droughts. So the need for coordination and using the systems is important but after going through an extended drought period an afternoon shower can set off an alarm for the Met Service because unexpected rainfall can become a flood.”
 
He explained that “what we now have is the skewing of norms. The statistical norms no longer allow you to predict how your systems will react to normal weather events, and that is why coordination is so particularly important. It is through this cooperation that we are looking to develop early warning systems and long-term measurable metrics to make sure we are sharing these”.

Other mechanisms cited by the Minister include the launch of the Building Resilience Through Climate Adaptation Technologies (BReTCAT) project, the launch of the Met Service’s weather app, the Bush Fire Warning Index, as well as the Jamaica Systemic Risk Assessment Tool, as important mechanisms in increasing the island’s response to risk and building its resilience to climactic impacts.
 
He pointed to the country’s intention to digitize its networks over the next three years, including rain gauges as well as hydrological meters, and added that the new S-Band Doppler Radar was nearing completion.  
 
The session by the CMO coincided with its 50^th anniversary celebrations. Jamaica is one of the founding members of the CMO.
 
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