WATER WARNING

Amid an unfolding climate change crisis that has caused the country to record consistently below average rainfall over the past year, the Government has approved an additional $150 million to increase its emergency response to drought conditions.

The new funding is to primarily target eastern parishes that have been severely affected by the drought, specifically households in St Mary, Portland, St Thomas, dowtown Kingston and in the hills of St Andrew.

Matthew Samuda, the minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, said $80 million would go towards increased trucking, through the National Water Commission, to critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools, health centres and golden age homes.

Making the announcement during yesterday’s post-Cabinet briefing at Jamaica House in St Andrew, Samuda said $10 million has been allocated to the National Irrigation Commission to assist with trucking in the hills of St Catherine, Clarendon, St Mary, and St Ann where there has also been reduced rainfall.

Another $60 million will go to the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development to increase their support to local communities within the affected parishes.

“Though the Government has made unprecedented levels of investment in the water infrastructure, the severity of the drought has made it more difficult for the existing water systems to cope. As such, this added investment of J$150 million will assist those areas that are most in need,” he added.

The new expenditure, slated to be utilised over the next four weeks, follows more than $300 million expended on temporary water solutions since last October.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie said yesterday that his ministry spent in excess of $150 million on the trucking of water to communities badly impacted by water lock-offs in the last fiscal year.

An additional $135 million was spent on the construction of new water facilities over that period, McKenzie added, while close to $40 million has been spent so far this year on water trucking.

McKenzie, who was also speaking at the post-Cabinet press briefing, said the spend was a collective response to the country’s water crisis, which Samuda warned will worsen in the coming weeks.

“At the end of the day, it is the Government’s responsibility to respond. We’re not afraid. We’re not passing the buck to anybody,” McKenzie added.

Samuda, in the meantime, put the country on alert to brace for challenges as Jamaica continues to reel from below average rainfall.

He said that, as at Monday, the Mona Reservoir in St Andrew was at 36.1 per cent, or approximately 27 days of storage at normal usage, while the level at the Hermitage Dam, also located in St Andrew, grew to 53.7 per cent following rainfall over the past two weeks.

Samuda said the country was yet to recover from its reduced rainfall since last October, indicating that the island’s water challenges are set to continue as it suffers “extreme” drought.

He noted that October, which is the country’s peak rainfall period, recorded a deficit of 22 per cent in 2022.

“We have not recovered since, in terms of our inflows,” said Samuda.

He said the below average rainfall continued into November with a 38 per cent reduction, December by 53 per cent, January by 66 per cent and, February by 74 per cent.

Samuda, who has responsibility for water, environment, climate change and the blue and green economies, said there was “marginal recovery” in March but that the overall inflows that would take place during these periods to facilitate recharge of the National Water Commission and municipal systems did not take place.

He said there were improved meteorological results in April and May, with deficits of only eight and 23 per cent, respectively.

Rainfall in June fared better, exceeding the normal 30-year rainfall by two per cent. However, he said, it was the only month to record this and not all parishes benefited.

Samuda said the western end of the island saw significant increases while the eastern section suffered.

For July, only 63 per cent of normal rainfall was recorded, signalling a deficit of 37 per cent.

“Jamaica has had the experience of having drought for a few years in the past but this drought is particularly extreme,” Samuda said.

“In July, we saw continuous decline, and in August it appears that we would have seen significant decline once more,” he added.

He said there are “deep” concerns that St Mary, St Thomas and Portland have “slipped back” into drought, recording only 61 per cent of normal rainfall.

Samuda said it was expected that rainfall will increase from mid-September into October, with a 50 per cent projection that the country could see above normal rainfall. He noted, however, that this was not conclusive.

“As such, we have to manage the resource that we have very carefully,” Samuda stressed, referring to output.

“… The Government has acknowledged that there will be challenges in the coming weeks and months. We do hope that we receive our normal October rainfall that would allow us to indeed recharge and give us some space,” Samuda added.

As a result, he said, the administration has decided to increase its emergency response.

This has seen the activation and reactivation of at least five wells, while two million gallons of water have been pumped into the Rio Cobre conveyance system.

He said some unauthorised connections which trigger leaks coming in from Yallahs have also been disconnected and that water has been distributed via trucking.

Storage tanks have also been distributed, he added.

“But I want to assure residents of the Corporate Area, residents of St Catherine and, indeed, residents of all of eastern Jamaica. The investments that are under way will transform your water system. This is not a conversation we’re expecting to have in two to three years.

“We expect to build in the resilience that gives us the capacity to deal with our changing weather pattern,” he said, highlighting the US$77-million treatment plant in Content, St Catherine.

The project has a two-year timeline that should provide in excess of 15 million gallons of water daily across Kingston and St Catherine.

kimone.francis@gleanerjm.com