Health department concerned about water quality at systems operated by St. Catherine MC

 

The St. Catherine Public Health Department has raised concerns about the quality of water at minor supply systems operated by the Municipal Corporation. 

 

Acting Deputy Public Health Inspector for the parish, Judith Brown, has revealed that testing of treated water by the department found the presence of bacteria. 

 

Ms. Brown, who was speaking at last Thursday's meeting of the Public Health and Sanitation Committee of the St. Catherine Municipal Corporation, said Chief Public Health Inspector Dr. Francia Prosper-Chen was requesting an urgent meeting with committee chairman Sydney Rose to discuss the issue.

 

"We take note that most times the water supply is not adequately treated and therefore we are having high bacteriological account, and it is bringing down the parish average," she highlighted. 

 

Ms. Brown outlined the findings of tests conducted last month by the health department of water supplied by the Municipal Corporation and the National Water Commission. 

 

"For the municipal supplies, we visited nine in the month of March, and we also checked them for chlorine residual. Of the samples analysed, 22 per cent showed negative chlorine residual. So we are asking that you make a special effort to make sure these waters are properly treated. For NWC [National Water Commission], we visited 28 supplies and we did 28 tests and one was negative for chlorine residual." 

 

Chlorine residual refers to the amount of chlorine remaining in water after it has been treated.

 

Meanwhile, the St. Catherine Health Department said it has been unable to keep track of the number of water-bottling stores which have sprung up over the parish.

 

The Health Department has sought the assistance of the Municipal Corporation in this regard. 

 

"[With regards to] the number of water-bottling stores, we are concerned. In the last two years we have moved from nine to 32. We want the Council to help us identify them so that we can better monitor them," said Ms. Brown.

 

She also announced a change to the licensing of water trucks, outlining that "one of the strategic plans that we have for 2025 is that the water trucks will be licensed as food establishments".