By Earl Moxam, Senior Gleaner WriterURBAN WATER supply schemes, long neglected due to a lack of adequate funding, are set to receive urgently needed attention over the next three years, according to Donald Buchanan, Minister of Water and Housing.
Mr. Buchanan told the Standing Finance Committee of Parliament on April 7 that the National Water Commission (NWC) will be spending $500,000 over the projected three-year period to carry out the upgrading and maintenance work required.
The work to be done will include not only domestic water supplies, but waste water and sewerage, he said, citing the Seivwright Gardens and Harbour View communities as two that will be targeted.
In the case of Harbour View, the Minister disclosed that the design for the rehabilitation of the plant will be completed this year.
The half-a-billion dollar rehabilitation programme for the Corporate Area will be financed through funds received from the rate increase recently granted by the Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR) to the NWC, Mr. Bucha-nan told the committee.
He also disclosed that plans for establishing the Rural Water Supply Company will shortly be submitted to Cabinet for its approval.
The Rural Water Supply Company is to replace Carib Engineering, which was established to bring water from rural Jamaica to the urban centres.
