NWC working to resolve Needham Pen water supply issues by early next week

The National Water Commission (NWC) says its customers served by the Needham Pen Pumping Station in St Thomas, who have been without water for weeks, should see their supply restored by early next week.

It says it has been working with the Jamaica Public Service Company (JPS) and the St Thomas Municipal Corporation to resolve the issues affecting the pumping station.

It says this includes attempts to widen and clear more than one mile of winding, dirt pathway leading to the facility, to allow safe access for the heavy equipment from the JPS to restore electricity.

A media release from the company said despite heavy rainfall on Thursday and Friday that impacted efforts, the NWC is still actively in the area, working to make the roadway accessible for the large cranes and trucks.

It notes that the challenges are further compounded by the fact that the access road is "quite treacherous and dangerous in parts, as some sections are quite narrow or close to the riverbank."

The NWC says, based on the current progress, it is projecting to restore the water supply to Needham Pen and its environs over this weekend or by early next week.

"The current disruption is quite regrettable, as just before that (between July and early November 2022), the NWC had been working to improve water supply challenges in the area by recommissioning a 76,000-gallon tank connected to the system," the NWC said.

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