Multimillion-dollar piped water project gets under way in St Mary

Phase one of a multimillion-dollar project, which will see thousands of residents in Mason Hall, St Mary receiving piped water, commenced last Thursday.

The pipe-laying works, which is being undertaken by the National Water Commission (NWC), in partnership with Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), is expected to be completed in December.

Water Minister Matthew Samuda and a team from the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Western St. Mary Member of Parliament, Robert Montague, representatives from the NWC and RWSL participated at today's initiative.

“This is following on a commitment of Mason Hall to commence a long touted water distribution storage and lift project,” commented Samuda.

“This is a significant expansion in the distribution network of the National Water Commission, which will benefit several thousand residents here. This project is being undertaken in partnership between the National Water Commission and rural water. Lot of the works are being done internally by the water commission. This represents in excess of $170 million of investment and as you see it's not an empty commitment, it is a commitment coming to life that the citizens are very happy for,” added Samuda.

According to Samuda, there are many components to the project, which he said is being done on a phased basis.

He pointed out that the total Mason Hall distribution system will require in excess of $1 billion.

He noted that the project is a part of a Caribbean Development Bank-funded initiative, which is aimed at assisting rural communities to connect to water supply.

Montague lauded the effort of the water minister for what he described as commitment made and honoured over a short period of time, which according to him is a clear indication that effort is being made to provide potable water to the residents in shortest possible time.

The MP declared that almost three thousand residents in the wider community of Mason Hall will benefit from the water project, which is Phase one.

He noted that residents have committed to paying their bills on a timely basis and that the community is grateful, but that they will be happier just before Christmas when Samuda has committed to return to Mason Hall to turn

The genesis of the water project reportedly started way back 2007 when it was committed.

However, after a 17-year delay, the project has finally gotten off the ground much to the delight of several residents including 75-year-old Joshua Mills, who stated that he has never had the luxury of having piped water running in his house. 

Meantime, Phillippa Campbell Francis, Acting Vice President of Operations at the NWC, stated that she is familiar with the project from its conceptualisation through to now, which according to her, is a very expensive undertaken that took a while to get started.

And for his part, Audley Thompson of rural water, stated that he is very pleased that the project has started, while adding that the agency is supporting NWC to ensure that water is delivered to residents by December. 

- Gareth Davis Snr

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