Caribbean News
JAMAICA: Government approves additional funds to truck water
#Kingston, July 19, 2019 – Jamaica – The Government has approved additional funds to truck water to communities affected by the drought, says Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr.
Speaking with JIS News after a meeting with political representatives from St. Thomas and officials from the National Water Commission (NWC), Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), Water Resources Authority (WRA) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF, at his office in Kingston today (July 16), the Minister said repairs to water systems will also be done with urgency.
“We have given the commitment to have immediate allocation to support the urgency in the specific Divisions, and we are going to be holding the NWC and RWS to account, to ensure that they meet the timeline that they have articulated to the various stakeholders, to provide water to the people,” the Minister said.
Senator Charles Jr. underscored that the move is to “impact the communities through emergency trucking, and more importantly, to do those minor repairs that can alleviate the need for investment in trucking water”.
He pointed out that during his recent meetings with stakeholders and agencies under his Ministry across the island, persons consistently cited deficiencies in the maintenance of the water infrastructure, and “breaches of our systems”, so there will be increased focus on upkeep.
“We have to focus also on enforcement, to make sure that when we put in a pump it is not stolen, and when we put in a pipeline there is no diversion. These are the things that we are focusing on,” the Minister said.
Senator Charles Jr. said the JCF has given its assurance to work alongside the NWC enforcement team, and to ensure that when information is passed on to them, “immediate” action is taken.
Contact: Garfield L. Angus
Release: JIS
Photo Captions:
Header: Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (centre), addresses a meeting with political representatives from the parish of St. Thomas, and officials from the National Water Commission (NWC), Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), Water Resources Authority (WRA) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) today (July 16) at his New Kingston office, to provide update on funding to truck water to drought-affected communities. With the Minister are Member of Parliament for Western St. Thomas, James Robertson (left), and Member of Parliament for Eastern St. Thomas, Dr. Fenton Ferguson.
Insert: Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Pearnel Charles Jr. (centre), addresses a meeting with political representatives from the parish of St. Thomas, and officials from the National Water Commission (NWC), Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), Water Resources Authority (WRA) and the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), today (July 16), at his New Kingston office, to provide update on funding to truck water to drought-affected communities.
Photos by Adrian Walker
KINGSTON, April 29 (JIS):
Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator the Hon. Matthew Samuda, says the outcome of discussions arising from the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) will assist in guiding the Government’s planning for climate change.
This, he points out, is important for climate mitigation as well as building Jamaica’s resilience.
“We look forward to the discussions that will, no doubt, take place. We look forward to the basis of planning for the Government to streamline its investments to ensure you have the tools that you need to better advise us, that the WRA (Water Resources Authority) has the tools to digitise its monitoring network, and that all of the agencies that touch our planning mechanisms have the tools. But we need to know what we are facing, and we’re guided by your expertise,” Minister Samuda said.
He was addressing the opening ceremony for the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) at the Courtyard by Marriott Hotel in New Kingston on Monday (April 29).
Senator Samuda said given the fact that the climate has changed and continues to do so, investments in and collaborations on building Jamaica’s predictive and scientific capacity must be prioritised.
“Ultimately, we need to be able to assess our current climatic realities if we are to better plan, if we’re to insist and ensure that our infrastructure meets the needs that we need it to. I’m very happy that this event is happening… because this is a critical issue.
“Jamaica, last year, faced its worst and most severe drought… and this year, we’re already seeing the impacts of not quite as severe a drought but, certainly, a drought with severe impacts, especially in the western part of the country,” he said.
Principal Director, Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that the forum aims to, among other things, establish a collaboration platform for climate services providers and users to understand risks and opportunities of past, present and future climate developments, as well as improve inter-agency coordination of policies, plans and programmes.
Among the other presenters were Ambassador, European Union to Jamaica, Her Excellency Marianne Van Steen; Chief Scientist/Climatologist, Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology, Adrian Trotman; and Head, Regional Climate Prediction Services, World Meteorological Organization, Wilfran Moufouma-Okia.
The Meteorological Service of Jamaica hosted the Jamaica National Stakeholder Consultation on Climate Services and the 1st National Climate Forum (NCF-1) in partnership with the Caribbean Institute for Meteorology and Hydrology and the World Meteorological Organization.
The National Stakeholder Consultation is a governance mechanism that guides how different sectors or actors work together to create products that contribute to adaptation and resilience-building. It seeks to create a road map for the development and implementation of climate services to inform decision-making.
NCF-1 aims to bridge the gap between climate providers and users. It increases the use of science-based information in decision-making and operations with the aim of generating and delivering co-produced and co-designed products and services.
CONTACT: CHRIS PATTERSON
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