KINGSTON, Jamaica — President of the National Water Commission (NWC), Mark Barnett, is imploring developers to ensure that adequate water-storage facilities are in place for residents of apartment complexes.

He told JIS News that under new measures put in place by the agency, in collaboration with the municipal corporations, developers will be required to ensure that residents have access to ample water supply in order to be connected to the NWC system.

“Based on the certificate of approval issued by the NWC, which is used by the parish councils to grant development approvals, developers will now be mandated to have adequate storage facilities before finally being placed on the NWC network,” he said.

Barnett told JIS News that “in the past, what we’ve found is that some developers take shortcuts when developing storage facilities to serve apartment complexes. If you get an approval for five-day storage on a complex it means you should ensure that a five-day storage supply is built”.

He said that the NWC will be working in conjunction with the local authorities to ensure compliance among developers.

Barnett said that water storage should not only be a concern during dry periods, as there are many factors that may cause disruption in water supply.

He said that the NWC is working to ensure that customers have adequate access to the commodity.

“We take it very seriously when customers are without water, because what that means is that customers are dissatisfied. So from the management and board of the NWC, we do sympathise with customers and we are working assiduously to provide the quality service our customers deserve,” he said.

—JIS