KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica government says it will spend an estimated US$209 million to implement the Northwestern Parishes Reliability and Service Improvement Project, which is intended to address water concerns and challenges in the island’s northwestern parishes resulting from, among other factors, rapidly deteriorating archaic pipelines.
Prime Minister Andrew Holness said among the parishes from which he has received vigorous complaints is St. James, whose parliamentary representatives have indicated that several communities do not have access to reliable water supply.
“They have been bringing us the situation here in Montego Bay, where the main pipelines have collapsed. So, we have decided that we are going to find US$209 million to develop the Northwestern Parishes Reliability and Improvement Service Project,” Holness said.
He said that this would be the first time any administration could take on capital expenditure of this magnitude without necessarily having to borrow, reiterating that Jamaica’s water infrastructure was laid in the 1950s, 1960s, and 1970s.
“Jamaica is the land of wood and water, but serious water challenges exist. Our challenge is how to make the water potable and move it from where it is to where you live. The two problems we are having is the production and distribution of water,” he told a town hall meeting over the weekend.
Holness said that rectifying these issues will require massive investment in infrastructure.
“I recall going to a community in Clarendon called Rosewell… lovely community. They had a big tank there, but it wasn’t operational. It had no water. I went there and heard their complaints, and I made sure that when I became Prime Minister in 2016, I fulfilled a commitment to them where they now have water.”
Holness urged the audience to remain vigilant and keep the government “on its toes,” noting that their representatives are responsible for ensuring proper representation and being answerable to their concerns.
“We are using the stability and growth of the economy… to convert it… into meaningful benefits for you,” he added.
The town hall was the second in a series being hosted by the government to engage the public on wide-ranging issues relating to policies, programs, and initiatives impacting their CMC/2023
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