NWC Undertaking Major Capital Projects to Strengthen Water Supply

The National Water Commission (NWC) is undertaking several major capital projects aimed at reducing non revenue water (NRW), while enhancing supply reliability and expanding national access to the commodity.

These projects include the completion of the new Rio Cobre Water Treatment Plant, the continuation of the Western Water Resilience Programme, the Ferry to Rock Pond Water Supply Improvement Project, the Wellington/Monroe Road Project, and the Greater Mandeville Water Supply Improvement Project.

Acting President of the NWC, Kevin Kerr, informed a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) ‘Think Tank’ that the projects are designed to deliver a more consistent water supply.

“[They will] reduce service interruptions and meet the growing demand from residential, commercial, and national development activities,” he said.

The new Rio Cobre Water Treatment Plant, currently under construction in St. Catherine, is expected to produce 15 million gallons of water per day, serving more than 600,000 residents in Kingston and St. Catherine when commissioned in 2027.

“It’s a two-year project. Last month was our first anniversary, and next year May, we will be commissioning [and] turning on the first 15 million gallons of water into our network so our customers in Spanish Town, Portmore and Kingston will benefit from that initiative,” Mr. Kerr noted.

The project, being financed through a public private partnership, is expected to significantly reduce vulnerability to drought in the Kingston Metropolitan Area.

Meanwhile, the Western Water Resilience Programme is expected to significantly reduce non revenue water in north western sections of the island.

The work will focus on replacing and rehabilitating aging pipelines that carry water across the north western corridor of the island.

Vice President of Enterprise Development and Performance Monitoring at the NWC, Glaister Cunningham, informed that a contract has been signed to commence phase one of the project.

“[The] pipeline will take us east and west from Martha Brae in Trelawny to St. Ann and into St. James… and from the Great River Water Treatment Plant, which is on the border of St. James and Hanover, all the way towards Negril,” he said.

Upon completion, the project will provide water to major towns such as Savanna la Mar, Negril, Montego Bay, Falmouth, Runaway Bay, St. Ann’s Bay, and Ocho Rios, as well as smaller communities, including Lucea, Green Island, Little London, Ironshore, Coral Gardens, Rose Hall, and Discovery Bay, among others.