NWC presses ahead with water and sewer upgrades across key sites

Jamaica’s National Water Commission (NWC) is pushing forward with capital works and focused engineering reviews across major drinking-water and sewer networks, backed by a spending roadmap aimed at tougher climate readiness, higher treatment throughput, and fewer service breaks.

Speaking at a JIS Think Tank on 12 May, Acting President Kevin Kerr said crews are already active in parts of the Corporate Area to strengthen how sewage is gathered, processed, and discharged without harming the environment. “We are currently undertaking upgrades in sections of the Corporate Area, [including] downtown Kingston, Duhaney Park and others, to improve how wastewater is collected, treated, and safely returned to the environment,” he said.

Kerr acknowledged that trenching and other intrusive tasks can frustrate residents and slow commuters, yet argued the payoff justifies the disruption. “The long-term benefits are significant. First, it’s to improve environmental protection. Second, more reliable and modern systems, and third, better quality of life for households and communities,” Mr. Kerr said.

He stressed that modern sewerage underpins far more than day-to-day comfort. “Proper sewerage infrastructure is not just about convenience. It is critical to public health, environmental sustainability, and urban development. It is also an important part of supporting Jamaica’s commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 6 (SDG 6) – water and sanitation for all,” he added.

Looking to the 2026/27 fiscal cycle, Kerr flagged desk- and field-based reviews of pivotal raw-water assets. “We will be focusing on a study of the Hermitage Dam for possible reconstruction and expansion. We will be looking at the main water pipeline from the Yallahs intake into our Mona Reservoir,” he said. “We will [also] be assessing and addressing sections of downtown Kingston as it relates to water, sewerage and possibly drainage,” he added.

On liquid-waste treatment, he said the Soapberry complex in Portmore, St. Catherine, is moving through commercial stages. “We are far advanced in the procurement for the divestment/expansion of our Soapberry Wastewater Treatment Plant, which is the largest treatment plant for Kingston,” he noted. “We will also look at other wastewater treatment plants on the western side [of Jamaica],” Mr. Kerr added.

The commission’s investment envelope also covers bolstered plant performance when storms churn catchments. “We will focus on some small to medium-size water treatment plants to improve treatment capacity and the level of treatment to expand on these. Whenever there’s period of [heavy] rainfall, our customers are affected when the turbidity levels have increased,” he said. “We want to improve treatment at these plants so we can improve our continuity of service in periods of rainfall or other weather events in time to come,” Mr. Kerr added.