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SPEAKING NOTES FOR
PRIME MINISTER
RT. HON. P.J. PATTERSON, Q.C., M.P.
AT COMMISSIONING OF CHAPLETON
WATER SUPPLY SCHEME ON
WEDNESDAY, AUGUST 15, 2001

Salutations

Commissioning is another leg of Government's Rural Water Supply Programme, funded by Government and the European Union.

Broad objective of the programme:

  • Fulfil a basic need - including the poor
  • Improved quality of life in rural communities

Focus of the project being commissioned:

  • Improvement of sources of supply
  • Reinforcement of transmission systems, while using distribution infrastructure to improve service delivery.

In the process, the boundaries of the delivery have been expanded to include two discrete service areas:

  • Chapleton/South Chapleton
  • Rock River Zone

These areas have historically been deprived of reliable supplies.

Commissioning, therefore, heralds the birth of a new day.

Scheme designed to serve 15,000 persons through to year 2014, including four schools and the Type III Health Centre, formerly the Chapleton Hospital.

The project cost is $100 Million
FEATURES OF THE NEW SYSTEM

  • LOW GROUND WELLS - three new wells, each 400mm in diameter, with depths varying from 12 - 30 meters, extract a total of 3,250 meters per day.
  • NEW GROUND SPRING and Treatment Plant has been incorporated into the new system.
  • A new 250mm diameter pumping main was installed from the three LOW GROUND WELLS to the service reservoir at Turners Four Paths via the Ennis Re-lift Pumping Station.
  • New chlorination facilities, pumping equipment and control valves were installed at the Ennis pumping station.
  • Upgraded pumping equipment and control valves at the Turners Four Paths Reservoir.
  • Rock River Supply Zone - the McPherson Spring - to provide new pumping and chlorination facilities to protect the site and pump station building from flooding.
  • Transmission and Distribution system- the existing 100,000-gallon catchment tank, suitably upgraded with control piping and valves providing storage for the lower areas including the Rock River Square and environs.

Government has embarked on an ambitious national programme designed to bring potable water to the entire country by 2005.

My mandate to the Minister of Water is for universal access to water by 2005.

It is a tall order, but one to which the administration is committed, because we must remove, once and for all, the spectacle of our women and children carrying water on their heads for long distances.

Several major projects are being undertaken, including:

  • Ocho Rios, Negril and Montego Bay sewerage
  • Lucea/Negril Water Supply, which was opened in June of this year
  • Darliston Water Supply, which will be opened shortly
  • Montego Bay/Great River Water Supply and Distribution
  • Bluefields/Whitehouse Water Supply
  • Sligoville Water Supply, to be opened shortly

Taken together, these projects will represent an expenditure of in excess of $5 billion.

In addition, we are bringing water on a temporary basis to those areas, which will not be reached in the short term, through the wayside tank programme and the 100 water trucks Rapid Response Programme.

For example, over the past year we have provided 43 communities with 650-gallon capacity tanks to which we have delivered some 80 million gallons of water.

Overall, in excess of 300 districts, which did not have water before have been supplied over the past three years.

We believe in the people's right to have adequate water supplies and we will not rest until we have completely satisfied this objective.

The people of Jamaica can depend on us to honour that undertaking.

While we vigorously pursue our ambitions with regards to universal water coverage, I urge citizens to understand that neither Jamaica's nor the world's supply of water, is unlimited.

Water is a precious commodity and most times we do not fully recognise its importance until we are in short supply.

The message, which flows from this, is that we must conserve our use of water.

Do not take it for granted, but rather treat it with the respect it deserves.

The message of conservation is therefore relevant to all who are beneficiaries of the new water supply systems, which we continue to develop and commission into service.

I am delighted that the administration is able to bring this precious gift to the areas to be served by this system.

 

THANKS TO AGENCIES

  • MINISTRY OF WATER AND HOUSING
  • MINISTRY OF PUBLIC WORKS
  • MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND WORKS
  • EUROPEAN UNION
  • NATIONAL WATER COMMISSION
  • PLANNING INSTITUTE OF JAMAICA
  • CARIB ENGINEERING GROUP
  • N.O. WHYTE & ASSOCIATES
  • HOOD DANIEL WELL COMPANY
  • BACCHUS ENGINEERING WORKS LIMITED
  • DAN WILLS CONSTRUCTION LIMITED    
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