Water shops to be constructed In Jamaica's St. Ann

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says water shops are to be constructed in St. Ann in the 2020/2021 financial year.

McKenzie made the disclosure during a meeting at the St. Ann Municipal Corporation in St. Ann’s Bay on Thursday (October 10).

“We are working to include in the new budget year, based on representation that I have made to Cabinet, an influx of funding for minor water, which falls under the direct control of the Ministry of Local Government,” he outlined.

The Minister said that water shops are not the answer to water issues, “but at least they take care of communities that never had it (water) before”.

“So, when we provide 16,000 gallons of purified water to communities that never had access to water, it means that they are benefiting from the precious commodity,” he added.

The Minister expressed concern about the trucking of water to communities, noting that there are challenges in the process.

“You have some truck [drivers] who refuse to get the trucks sterilised and to get them certified to carry water to the public. No municipality should engage any contractor to truck water to communities, unless the trucks are sterilised and certified,” he emphasised.

Another challenge being faced with the trucking of water, the Minister noted, is that a lot of water is often spilled from some of the trucks, and some areas do not benefit.

Meanwhile, McKenzie said that while the Ministry intends to purchase water trucks for municipalities across the island by the end of this financial year, if they can purchase water trucks, they should go ahead and do so.

The Minister informed that he will be meeting with the mayors, chief executive officers, as well as technical officers, from municipalities across the island from today (October 11) to Saturday (October 12), to discuss possible solutions for water issues, among other matters.