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Garth Jackson, Acting President of the National Water Commission and Matthew Samuda, Miniser with responsibility for Water
National Water Commission (NWC) customers across the island are being urged to brace for water restrictions and low water supply in the coming weeks as the country is experiencing drought conditions.
It was announced on Wednesday that sections of Jamaica are on red alert amid shifting climatic conditions that have disrupted the country's 30-year rainfall pattern.
Speaking at a press conference Wednesday morning, Principal Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, said the observed disruption is expected to cause drought conditions during the usual wet period between May and November.
In the early wet season between May and June, drought conditions were detected for St. James, while significant dryness was detected across St. Thomas, Clarendon, Kingston, St. Andrew, St. Ann and St. Mary.
Mr. Thompson said southern parishes should brace for dry conditions in the coming days, which is expected to last through to September.
Western parishes will get relief while some amount of dryness will persist across eastern parishes.
Mr. Thompson said there will be a pick up in rainfall activity near the end of the year.
Meanwhile, Acting President of the National Water Commission, Garth Jackson, says 44 or 10% of the NWC's 450 systems have so far been affected by the dry conditions.
He said the NWC is considering water restrictions in the Corporate Area due to the reduction of inflows into the Hermitage Dam and Mona Reservoir.
The Hermitage Dam is currently about 62% of capacity, with 245 million gallons in storage, while the Mona Reservoir has 404 million gallons in storage - about 50% of its capacity.
But Mr. Jackson warned that the levels are falling about 1% per day at both facilities.
He outlined measures being implemented by the NWC to ensure regular water supply to customers during the dry spell.
"So for the urban centres, we are looking at modulating the supplies and actually regulating supplies between discrete supply zones so that we can actually maintain service to all on a daily basis, however reducing actual output from facilities. Today we will be re-commissioning the Beverly Hills well and the Cavaliers well. Those two are going back in service.... Up Park Camp is also being re-commissioned, and that will bring about just over 2 million gallons of water additional into service so that we can cut back on the regular abstraction from the raw water impoundments," he disclosed.
In the meantime, Matthew Samuda, Minister with responsibility for Water, has announced a $350 million buffer to mitigate against the drought conditions.