$500M earmarked for drought mitigation
Loading article...
The Government says it is prepared to spend up to $500 million to mitigate the impact of drought conditions if they continue to worsen.
Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda said that is the estimated cost of the drought response if the current situation continues for three months.
Jamaica’s Meteorological Service announced on Thursday that in June eleven of the 14 parishes recorded rainfall amounts that were below their 30-year climatological average.
The Met Service indicated, too, that said at the end of June, four parishes – St Elizabeth, St James, St Ann and St Mary -- were determined to be experiencing drought conditions with at least two other parishes “on the borderline”.
Samuda announced that approximately $100 million would be allocated to trucking water to affected areas and critical infrastructure such as hospitals, schools and police stations.
He said a sum would be allocated to Members of Parliament (MPs) to manage areas within their constituencies that have elevations, pressure issues or other supply challenges.
“We are in preparation to deploy that capital starting on August 10 if the situation holds as is,” Samuda said on Thursday as he disclosed details of the Government planned response to the worsening drought conditions.
He revealed, too, that his ministry recently allocated $86 million to MPs to truck water in their respective constituencies.
“The trucking would have been split up proportionally based on the data that we would have had related to rainfall in June, so that they would have been split based on who would have had the worst issues,” he said.
Samuda also announced that the Government has recommenced the distribution of black tanks, in partnership with MPs and the Social Development Commission in areas hit by serious water scarcity.
Follow The Gleaner on X, formerly Twitter, and Instagram @JamaicaGleaner and on Facebook @GleanerJamaica. Send us a message on WhatsApp at 1-876-499-0169 or email us at onlinefeedback@gleanerjm.com or editors@gleanerjm.com.