Gov't spending billions on water, sewerage projects

KINGSTON:

THE GOVERNMENT is spending in excess of $5 billion on a number of water and sewerage projects across the island, some of which will come on stream this financial year.

These include the Lucea/Negril water supply system which was commissioned into service last Friday; Darliston water supply to be opened in August; the Ocho Rios, Negril and Montego Bay sewerage project; Montego Bay/Great
River water supply and distribution; Blue-fields/Whitehouse water supply and the Sligoville water supply which is 94 per
cent complete.

In addition to these projects, a number of smaller ones are being undertaken at a cost of over $2 billion, Water and Housing Minister Dr. Karl Blythe, made the announcements in his contribution to the 2001/02 Sectoral Debate in Gordon House on Wednesday.

Giving an update on the operations at the National Water Commission (NWC), the Minister said the company had recorded profit of over $500 million for financial year 1999/2000, $384 more than the $116 million profit recorded for 1998/99. He said the money was used to extend water supply to well over 300 communities under the NWC's Collaborative Programme

Dr. Blythe said the increase in profit resulted from measures introduced by the company to make its operations more efficient and profitable. The NWC and Carib Engineering Corporation Limited were mandated to make their operations more profitable, so that together they could contribute over $1 billion to water supply expansion.

The Minister said the NWC has been working to provide all Jamaicans with access to potable water, adding that since 1998, the Commission replaced over 115 pumps and installed some 112,000 new customer metres at a cost of $400 million. In addition, a number of production facilities have been rehabilitated.

Dr. Blythe assured all NWC weekly paid workers who were made pensionable in 1998, that their pensions would be duly paid.

On another matter, the Minister told the House that the Water Resources Authority has sourced some $7 million to update the Water Resources Master Plan.

The plan would raise awareness of issues relating to water resources management, especially in schools, the Minister said.

He noted that over the last few years, the Authority has been upgrading its hydrometric network to compile the data necessary to improve planning and management of water resources.

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