‘We’ve been waiting for it for about 40 years’

WESTERN BUREAU:

Residents of Braco in Trelawny now have access to potable water from the National Water Commission (NWC) for the first time in Jamaica’s history.

This was done through a $90 million NWC in-house project and is expected to benefit 400 residents in the farming community.

The community’s water will be supplied by the nearby Martha Brae Water Treatment Plant as NWC has connected the distribution pipeline to the 20-inch transmission main running from Martha Brae to St Ann.

The Braco Pipeline Project was commissioned in a brief gathering yesterday morning with residents, NWC officials, and Senator Matthew Samuda, minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation in attendance.

Speaking to The Gleaner on the sidelines of yesterday’s event, Braco resident Jermaine Wright said that the community is excited to finally have access to pipe water.

Wright pointed out that the project was “long awaited” as residents were forced to purchase water from other sources to carry on with their daily lives.

“I feel like it’s a great move to bring water into the community of Braco. It’s been long coming. Since the community has been here, we haven’t had proper drinking water, so this is very good for the community.

“People can use household water as often as they want now. They can take showers and have it to cook also. I think this is a great thing,” said Wright.

Wright noted that while Braco residents did not have access to potable water at home, they have, however, been using irrigation water to feed animals and water their crops.

“We have irrigation water that we use for the farm, but that cannot be used in our household, so we used that to feed the animals and our plants. The irrigation water has been very good and helpful throughout the years, and I will continue to use it, but I will also use the potable water in my home.”

HOPEFUL

At the same time, another resident, Iris Green, is hopeful that the introduction of potable water will bring new opportunities to the people of Braco. Green shared that over the years, she has had to purchase separate water to use inside her home and for consumption.

“This is so good. We have been waiting for it for about 40 years.”

“I have to buy water. I have a ground tank so I would always have to buy water and then go out and buy spring water.”

Meanwhile, Elizabeth Powell told The Gleaner that residents are excited for the access to potable water in their homes as they will no longer be required to fetch from nearby standpipes.

“We had to depend on the irrigation water, and we would get water from standpipes, so now that it is here, we will take advantage of it. It’s been long awaited, so let us hope we can afford it when the bill comes.”

For his part, Herman Fagan, acting vice-president of operations at NWC, shared that residents have been jumping on board to regularise their services with the agency.

“In February 2024, we had 40 residents coming in for application, and as of today, I can report that 25 of those customers are actually fully registered.”

Fagan further stated that the expansive project would not only effectively cater to the residents, but was developed with the growing needs of the community in mind. In addition to that, he shared that there is the possibility of a second phase of the project.

“The thought process behind this project was somewhat futuristic, so we did not only look at the existing demand. We scoped it in a way where we are looking five or 10 years down the road, hence the different pipelines.”

Member of Parliament (MP) for Trelawny Northern Tova Hamilton also welcomed the project to her constituency.

“For far too long this community has endured the burden of water scarcity, grappling with challenges it imposed on residents’ daily life, health, and aspirations, but today, with immense ... joy, we stand on the threshold of transformation.”

“No longer will families endure the burden of having to procure water at a high cost,” Hamilton said.

rochelle.clayton@gleanerjm.com