The Government continued to make significant investments to improve water supply systems islandwide.
• Over 50 water facilities rehabilitated.
• Major upgrades and replacements of water and sewer mains within the Corporate Area
• Reduced National Water Commission (NWC) water losses from over 60 per cent to about 40 per cent in the Corporate Area.
• A record $800 million investment in rural water which brought water to thousands of Jamaicans who never had it in parishes including Clarendon, St. Elizabeth and St. Mary.
• NWC customers who were severely affected by drought conditions benefited from a debt write-off under a Bill Redemption system.
• $630 million Essex Valley Water Supply Project in Junction, St. Elizabeth commissioned and more than 20,000 residents in 3,300 households are receiving potable piped water supplied by the NWC.
• Residents of several communities in West Rural St. Andrew are benefitting from the installation of a supply system in Golden Hill. The $13 million project, undertaken by Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) involved installation of a 60,000 gallon water storage tank.
• More than 150 residents of Bucknor and surrounding communities in Clarendon signed contracts to become new customers of the NWC.
• More than 46 households in Section H in Norwood, St. James, received water in their pipes, following the commissioning of a water supply system.
Rainwater Harvesting
• A $7 million rainwater harvesting system was commissioned into service at the Enid Bennett High School in St. Catherine.
• The Rock Hall All-Age School in St. Andrew benefited from the commissioning into service of a $9 million rainwater harvesting system.
• RWSL provided water solutions to the Garden Hill Primary School in St. Catherine.
• Rainwater harvesting systems, storage facilities, and a number of 400
gallon black tanks were also provided for residents of Giblatore, St. Catherine with funding from the Inter- American Development Bank (IDB).
• The Government launched a water-monitoring initiative among primary and high school students to encourage the culture of water conservation.