Improved Water Supply for Residents of Sterling Castle Heights and Padmore

More than 900 residents of Sterling Castle Heights and Padmore in St. Andrew West Rural are the beneficiaries of improved water supply as a result of the National Water Commission (NWC) pipeline replacement project and upgrading works.

The commissioning ceremony was held on Thursday, June 8 at the Padmore Seventh-day Adventist Church in St. Andrew.

The NWC's pipeline replacement project is part of the Commission's drive to formally register customers and transfer these users to the new pipeline as well as to facilitate consistent and reliable water supply to the area and mitigate losses.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, said the project is one of many to be undertaken by the NWC to upgrade the infrastructure and improve service delivery.

He argued that the NWC's programme of works will have to be accelerated to address the immediate impact of climate change.

"We have to deploy investments at rates we had never contemplated before. It's not just about connecting new persons; it is ensuring we are building resilience… and that despite the changing weather patterns, we are better able to deal with what will come," the Minister said.

In Sterling Castle Heights, the $9-million pipeline upgrade work involved laying approximately 90 lengths of SCH40 four-inch PVC pipeline.

Sterling Castle Heights is served by the Forest Hill Deep Well via the Brentwood Relift Station.

The pipeline replacement project in Padmore was done at a cost of $26 million. The area is supplied by the Barnett Wood system.

Originally, the community was served by a one-inch mainline, which was inadequate to serve the growing population.

The project involved the laying of approximately 1.6 km of four-inch pipeline, and installation of two pressure-regulating valves (PRV) and chambers.

Under the projects, installation of metered connections for non-registered customers, civil repair works, and valve repairs/replacement were undertaken in both communities.

Regional Manager, Kingston, St. Andrew, and St. Thomas, NWC, Dr. Phillipa Campbell-Francis, said the initiative is part of the NWC's mandate to improve service delivery.

"We are very excited because we continue to look forward to upgrading the NWC systems and just improving the service generally to our customers," she said.

Member of Parliament for St. Andrew West Rural, Hon. Juliet Cuthbert-Flynn, said "upgrading of the system… is going to make it much better and you will have a more reliable water system".