Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says this year, the Government will invest billions in water projects this year, to support the work of the island’s major water provider, the National Water Commission (NWC).
While Dr. Holness, did not disclose the exact expenditure, noting that the announcement would be made during his Budget Debate Presentation, he stated that the Government will “step up to the plate” and put “a lot of money” into water projects. He added that the objective of the NWC is to increase coverage for potable water by expanding their utility footprint from 78% to 85%.
“Already the NWC has over J$7.3 billion under contract, meaning they have gone through project development, they have gone through procurement and now they have signed the contracts with the various contractors to execute. They are now waiting on the budget to be read and the warrant to be issued”, he explained.
Dr. Holness spoke last Friday (February 7, 2025), at the groundbreaking ceremony for Phase 2 of the Whitehall to Newmarket Water Supply Project in North West St. Elizabeth.
The Prime Minister further noted that the NWC already has J$2.9 billion worth of works in procurement, in addition to the $7.3 billion dollars.
Dr. Holness reiterated that under the Shared Prosperity to our Road Network (SPARK) Programme, approximately J$2.5 billion will be spent on water infrastructure and Rural Water Supply Limited will expend J$1 billion on small water projects across Jamaica
He said other Government Agencies would also be expending significant sums to improve the water infrastructure across the island. They include the National Housing Trust, which will be spending close to J$1billion to improve the infrastructure of existing housing developments and the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) will set aside significant amounts for water projects in communities across Jamaica.
The $342 million While Hall to New Market Water Project will serve approximately 8,000 residents of Whitehall, Lewisville and Newmarket, who relied primarily on rainwater harvesting for many years, due to the lack of NWC infrastructure in the area.
Meanwhile, the Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Matthew Samuda, outlined the scope of work on the project.
“The project very simply will involve infrastructure work at the well in the community; installation of 2 major relift stations; installation of 3 major supply tanks; and some pipe works to connect the pipes done under the MIDP (Major Infrastructure Development Programme) between 2018 and 2020, with the installation of a further one and a half kilometers of six-inch pipes” the Minister explained.
Minister Samuda also took the opportunity to provide an update on the NWC Amnesty announced in November last year, noting that to date, over 1,300 customers who did not have water have now been reconnected. This, he said, translated into a J$156 million write off.
The Minister added that a further 8,438 customers will be reconnected this month.
“With the other 8,000 plus customers that are awaiting, we are giving back to our citizens a further J$500 million plus. So, your government is investing to show that it cares. It is investing to ensure that when we turn on the pipes, there is water in them and this community of Newmarket cannot be left behind and we are happy to start the project today”, he ended.
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