Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the National Water Commission, will be moving to address the infrastructural issues with the water distribution network between Braeton and Hellshire in St. Catherine.
Speaking on Friday, May 17, at a ribbon-cutting ceremony and tour of the Hellshire Phase 3 Booster Pump Station at Fort Hill in Hellshire, Minister Samuda stated that updates on the line between Braeton and Hellshire will be provided in the next quarter.
“We do say to residents that in the next quarter, we should be able to provide some updates because we do not intend to go into the next drought season in this area with particular infrastructural weaknesses that you have. So we’re looking at how best to tailor that solution and we’ll be working with all our partners certainly the NWC and MIYA”, he stated.
The Minister further noted that the Non-Revenue Water (NRW) project had been successful in reducing the volume of water lost to breaks and theft in the Portmore area, from 70 percent to approximately 40 percent.
“We are working with the National Water Commission and indeed with MIYA to ensure that this figure comes down. I believe we are now in the 40s. The next step, which is that major line from Braeton into Hellshire, will take us much closer to our targeted goal and we’ll be working through the details in that regard. That is how you build water resilience. There are many other facets. We need to increase storage, we need to increase pumping capacity, find new sources, etc., but we cannot continue the broken distribution network nationally,” the Minister emphasized.
Meanwhile, approximately 400 residents of the Fort Hill Estate Community are now benefitting from improved supply pressure; the termination of trucking arrangements, and continuous water supply, following the construction of the Hellshire Phase 3 Booster Pump Station at Fort Hill.
The Fort Hill area was impacted by infrequent water supply and required adjustments to the National Water Commission’s piped network, as well as continuous trucking arrangements to meet the shortfall.
“This community was in need of upgrades. The pumping infrastructure behind us is some J$5 million. The additional works that have been done to connect and some additional piping works were an additional J$5 million. So it’s not the size (of the) announcements that we normally make on a weekly basis, but it is an important one. Ultimately people need to know that they are heard and they need to know that when representation is made, the appropriate allocations follow”, the Minister explained.
The scope of works on the project included the supply and installation of Two (2) Vertical Multistage centrifugal pump units; the installation of suction and discharge pipelines; as well as the installation of flow meters, valves, and various appurtenances.