Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, disclosed that an allocation of J$841.5 million was made in the Constant Spring Water Treatment Plant.
“A key component of this treatment facility are the two (2) clear water storage reservoirs consisting of 5 individual cells: Nos. 2, 3, 4 & 5, which are combined while cell No. 1 is a ‘stand-alone’ structure. The works on cell No. 1 were completed at a cost of $447 million and the other cells received works totaling $394.5 million,” Minister Samuda outlined.
His remarks came yesterday (April 27, 2023), during a tour of the treatment plant where he expressed satisfaction at the work done to upgrade the Constant Spring Treatment Plant in St. Andrew.
“In 2019, the infrastructure was so bad that the roofs collapsed. It prompted us to do significant work in the area”, he noted.
“Prior to that investment, this facility would have leaked 4 and a half million gallons a day. Certainly, in a drought like the one we are having, we would not have been able to afford four and a half million gallons a day of leakage”, stated Minister Samuda.
The Minister stated that the upgrading work to the tanks and the facility will benefit approximately 40,000 persons along Constant Spring Road down to Cross Roads and along Washington Boulevard to Pembroke Hall.
Minister Samuda added that the investment forms part of the broader strategy to ensure the complete renovation, restoration, and the creation of a “renaissance” for the water sector in Jamaica.
However, he noted that the process would take several billion dollars and support from partners such as Vinci, local and overseas contractors, as well as support from the capital markets.
The Constant Spring Water Treatment Plant is one of the NWC’s major production facilities with a design capacity of 20 million imperial gallons per day.
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