Water Issues in Jamaica to be Addressed

The Government will, this year, ramp up efforts to address several issues affecting the delivery of water, particularly in the Corporate Area.

The areas to be tackled include leaks, theft, bypasses, illegal connections, overflow of tanks, estimated meter readings, and under registration of customer meters.

This was revealed by Governor-General, His Excellency the Most Hon. Sir Patrick Allen, while delivering the  2017-18 Throne Speech in the House of Representatives today (February  9).

“During this fiscal year, it is envisioned that the country will begin to see a reduction of 20 million litres of water lost per day across the Corporate Area,” he said.

Also, as part of the public sector modernisation drive, the Governor-General reiterated the Government’s plan to merge the operations of the National Land Agency and the Land Administration and Management Programme.

The move, he said, is expected to result in greater efficiencies and to harmonise the land management portfolio in Jamaica, thereby creating a ‘one stop’ setting.

“This will empower more Jamaicans to secure titles for land, improving their economic well-being,” he said.

Turning to the maritime industry, the Governor-General noted that Jamaica is well placed to reap the benefits of an expanded global maritime sector.

He informed that the Port Authority of Jamaica recently embarked on the implementation of a Port Community System, which will automate and optimise business processes within the island’s seaport communities.

“It will promote more efficient and effective trading practices, while reducing the cost of doing business in Jamaica,” he said

Sources:

www.jis.gov.jm