NWC Imposes Planned Water Cuts Across Corporate Area as Hermitage Dam Storage Falls

Householders across the corporate area are again contending with timetabled water outages as the National Water Commission (NWC) acts to slow the drain on storage at major facilities, including the Hermitage Dam.

According to the utility, reduced inflows have brought the network to a stage where controlled distribution is unavoidable.

Corporate relations manager Delano Williams pointed to Jamaica's seasonal rainfall cycle and climbing consumption as the main forces behind the pressure on supplies.

"Well, the reality is we still have seasonal rainfall in Jamaica. The other reality is our populations have somewhat outgrown the water supply systems. For Kingston and St Andrew, we have storage for approximately 1.2 billion gallons of water. But over the dry spell, you find that the day-to-day needs of the of the city is one that is going to put a strain on the those same water storage systems. So, we are here because while we're catching up, we're still not at that point where the supply is meeting or exceeding the demand that exist."

The NWC said it has trimmed water losses across Kingston and St Andrew through pipeline fixes and tighter pressure control.

"What we do differently, is we've identified key areas where pipes need to either be replaced or repaired, and we've targeted those. We've also done something called pressure management. So, there are places where you had two high pressures and other places where you had two low pressures. We've regulated the system so there's not pulsing on the line. Across Kingston and St Andrew for instance, the line from Manor Park down to Half Way Tree has been replaced."

The commission added that proposals to enlarge principal reservoirs are being examined as part of wider planning to strengthen water security.

"You want to look at all the options. Now if they are already there it means they're at a position where the watershed naturally flows to them. The option to expand them seems most viable but we are still pretty early in terms of what the assessment will lead us to."

Williams said the goal aligns with what most Jamaicans expect from the service.

"We simply want a bigger storage that during these dry months they do not have to worry."