Multi-Agency Initiative to Assess Hurricane-Damaged Water Systems in St. Ann

A coordinated, multi agency initiative is to be launched to assess the extent of damage to water systems in St. Ann.

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, says St. Ann’s municipal water systems sustained significant damage during Hurricane Melissa, making thorough assessments a critical first step towards restoring and strengthening the parish’s water supply.

“The current condition of too many of our municipal water systems, post-Hurricane Melissa, is indeed concerning,” he said.

The Minister was speaking during the recent ceremony to break ground for a new catchment tank in Stepney, St. Ann.

Mr. Samuda explained that responsibility for the assessments will be shared among the St. Ann Municipal Corporation, the National Water Commission (NWC), and Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), ensuring the process is expedited.

“We have formed a… task force where we will be [dividing] the areas into responsibilities, so that the Municipality will take some… . NWC, when doing works in areas, will also do some of the assessments and provide ]these] to us,” he said.

The Minister added that the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) and Jamaica Bauxite Mining Limited (JBM) have also been engaged to support the effort, ensuring that St. Ann is covered comprehensively and efficiently.

“There must be site visits, engineering evaluations, and financial assessments to determine how these issues will be addressed,” he said.

Mr. Samuda noted that several agencies have already pledged their support for the rehabilitation efforts.

“We have committed that where Rural Water has the capacity, [they] will do the work; where it is assessed by the Municipal Corporation, we will fund the work; where JBM assesses that it can step in and execute the projects… they have committed to funding some of the work as well. UDC has also acknowledged that they will make some interventions,” he stated.

Acknowledging the widespread destruction across several western parishes, Mr. Samuda emphasised that the assessment process would be extensive without the support of partnering organisations.

Meanwhile, the Minister underscored the pivotal role of the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA) in bolstering Jamaica’s long term water resilience.

“One of the projects that will, indeed, be deployed under NaRRA will be the construction and redevelopment of over 100 massive community tanks to significantly increase our water storage,” he said.

The Minister noted that the NARRA legislative framework will enable the deployment of capital within 12 months.

Mr. Samuda further highlighted Jamaica’s increasing vulnerability to climate variability.

“We are about to experience what meteorologists have said is going to be a super El Niño phenomenon… so the resilience we must build in this country has to be multifaceted,” he cautioned.