Gov't addressing water needs for upcoming school year - Charles Jnr

Minister with responsibility for Water, Pearnel Charles Jnr, says the government has implemented measures to ensure that schools have water amid the ongoing drought for the new academic year.

Charles Jnr says the National Water Commission (NWC) is engaging principals for the schools that have been affected by the drought as well as those schools which are in areas where there are disruptions in the water supply to make arrangements to provide trucked water. 

He says the NWC will truck water to all schools – those affected by the drought and those that have a regular piped water supply.

Additionally, he says all water storage facilities will be filled.

Water Trucking

“We are mindful of the fact that systems can go down at any given time and so we are ensuring that schools have a steady supply until the systems are up and running,” the minister said in a statement this afternoon.

Charles Jnr says an islandwide trucking schedule has been prepared and trucking commenced this week in preparation for the new school term, which officially resumes on Monday September 2.

“We are aware that some schools face challenges in terms of storage and so the NWC has assisted by donating tanks to provide additional storage for those institutions that are in need. Two of these schools include Haile Selassie and Cedar Grove High. 

“The National Water Commission has also carried out pipeline infrastructure upgrade in St James which will result in an improved supply to Anchovy High School. 

“NWC representatives have been assigned to maintain contact with school administrators to monitor water distribution in schools. Administrators may contact the NWC toll-free 888-225-5692 for assistance,” he outlined.
 
Water Theft  

Charles Jnr noted that despite the implementation of the measures, the government continues to face challenges in the delivery of water to some schools.

He outlined that two major challenges are the theft of water from storage facilities at schools and the practice of illegally tapping into the NWC’s distribution network in some areas. 
 
“Consistently, water is stolen from storage facilities at some schools – not just here in Kingston but also in the western region. As such, the NWC will be trucking water on Mondays to the schools that are experiencing water theft. 
 
“Secondly, we have received reports of individuals disrupting the distribution network which takes water to schools in east rural St Andrew and St Elizabeth. The NWC has conducted several operations to remove these illegal connections from its distribution network but despite these efforts, the persistent practices continue,” Charles Jnr said.

He said that during recent meetings concerning the trucking of water, he asked the Jamaica Constabulary Force to play a greater role in monitoring such situations to facilitate a more efficient supply of water to customers.  
 
“I’m appealing to community members to protect the NWC infrastructure as well as the water which is delivered by truck to schools to support a healthy learning environment for our children. We urge farmers, residents and all stakeholders to desist from illegally tapping into the NWC network and to become legal customers,” he said.

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