Project proposed to ease water woes

MEMBER OF Parliament for West Rural St Andrew Juliet CuthbertFlynn says implementation of a water project in the area will assist in solving the water shortage experienced by the residents.

Making her contribution to the 2016-17 Constituency Debate in the House of Representatives, she said the project would substantially increase the volume of potable water to these communities and reduce non-revenue water to an acceptable level.

Cuthbert-Flynn said an assessment reveals two main reasons for the poor water systems. First, the capital expenditure spent on rural plants is inadequate and the level of non-revenue water loss is extremely high.

“West Rural St Andrew has a population of over 50,000 inhabitants. This area is supplied with water from a number of small sources within the area. Chief among them are the King Weston, Barnett Wood and the ChuChu systems,” she said.

“A significant part of the population, however, lives in deep rural areas where there is little or no infrastructure. And where there is water, there is a high level of water loss and a low level of water revenue collection,” she noted.

The solution, Cuthbert-Flynn said, is to identify six reliable sources for water extraction based on current and future needs.

The proposed sources identified are Chu Chu Bottom/Smith Village, Barnett Wood, Pigeon Valley, Content, King Weston, and Second Breakfast.