Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, on Wednesday (April 29) viewed pipes in Freeport, Montego Bay, St James, to be used under phase one of the Western Water Resilience Project.

Mr. Samuda was joined by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of National Security and Peace, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, along with representatives from the National Water Commission and other stakeholders, marking a major milestone for the multi-phase project.

The Western Water Resilience Project is being undertaken at a cost of US$425 million, with phase one costing US$176.22 million.

The work will focus on replacing and rehabilitating the aging pipes that carry water across the northwestern corridor of the island.

It will include the replacement of the transmission main between the Montego Bay Great River Water Treatment and the Queen of Spain/New Martha Brae Water Treatment Plant in Trelawny, where non-revenue water loss is currently estimated at 71 per cent.

Focus will also be placed on the corridor stretching from the Great River Water Treatment Plant, westward through Lucea, Green Island and Orange Bay, all the way to the Negril Beach Strip, where losses run at 68 per cent.

In his remarks, Minister Samuda said the project will unlock economic activity, as well as deliver social stability, well beyond the lifespans of those who benefit from it today.

“So, this is a massive, massive undertaking. Also, it means taking off some of your worst pipes in and around the community level that leak profusely and ensuring that the structural integrity of the infrastructure matches the sort of basic services that an economy deserves,” he stated.

The Minister also cited a study done by the World Bank two years ago that put the cost of achieving full water resilience and 100 per cent access to potable water across Jamaica at roughly US$5 billion.

He noted that the US$425 million committed to the western water project represents approximately nine per cent of that national need, directed entirely at the northwest.

“We can safely say as an Administration and as a country that we’re investing in line with our ambition. We’re not announcing and talking and you’re not seeing particular action,” Mr. Samuda said.

“When we say we’re going to do something, we will make the investment on the back of sound planning, strong engineering to ensure you get the infrastructure that allows the economy to build,” Mr. Samuda indicated.

For his part, Dr. Chang, noted that the development will play a critical role in reshaping investment patterns across the northwest.

He stated that reliable infrastructure remains a key driver of business confidence and economic expansion, particularly in growth areas like Montego Bay and its surrounding communities.

“That is the Government’s commitment to ensure that we build out in Jamaica a modern, adequate, resilient, quality infrastructure to provide a foundation for economic development and social transformation, and this is one such project,” Dr. Chang said.

Work under the project also includes upgrading of the Martha Brae and Great River water treatment plants, construction of a brand-new treatment plant at the Roaring River in Westmoreland, expansion of the production capacity across four treatment plants, new pumping and booster stations, and significant increases in water storage.

When completed, the project will serve a wide corridor of beneficiaries spanning major towns, including Savanna-la-Mar, Negril, Montego Bay, Falmouth, Runaway Bay, St. Ann’s Bay and Ocho Rios, as well as smaller communities such as Lucea, Green Island, Little London, Ironshore, Coral Gardens, Rose Hall and Discovery Bay, among others.

Work under the project is being undertaken by Vinci Construction Grand Projects.