Ground broken for $12 billion Rio Cobre Water Treatment Plant

By Kimone Witter    

 

Minister with responsibility for Water, Senator Matthew Samuda, says the Rio Cobre Content Water Treatment Plant, when completed, is expected to significantly improve the regulation of water to several communities in St. Catherine and the Corporate Area.

 

Ground was broken for the $12 billion project at Content in St. Catherine on Thursday.

 

The project is being hailed as a significant development in the effort to boost water security of communities in St. Catherine, including Portmore, and Kingston and St. Andrew, particularly during times of drought.

 

"In February of last year, in the middle of the worst drought Jamaica has experienced, the Kingston and St. Andrew area was short of just over 12 million gallons of water a day. Now, this project will pump 15 million gallons into Portmore, Kingston and St. Andrew, especially western Kingston and St. Andrew," Senator Samuda touted. 

 

The minister said more work will be needed to reduce water lock-offs. 

 

"You shouldn't have water lock-offs, but ultimately, we still have a lot of work to do to make sure that it becomes a reality. From a source water perspective, Kingston and St. Andrew, Portmore will not be short of source water, which means we have work now to do on the distribution network and indeed the storage," he said Thursday while speaking on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines.

 

The plant will be constructed over two years plus a further 23-year arrangement for the Project team to operate and maintain the system.

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness who addressed the groundbreaking ceremony, described the project as a "win-win" for the National Water Commission, its customers, and all of Jamaica, adding that the demand for potable water has increased, due to the growth being experienced in the country.