RHYNE PARK, Montego Bay — MEMBER of Parliament for St James East Central, Edmund Bartlett is adamant that he will not support plans for future housing developments unless there is assurance there will be access to an adequate water supply.

“One of the things that we want to be able to assure developers in the future is that there is going to be adequacy of water within this space. If there isn’t, this Member of Parliament will not support any further development for housing,” he declared.

“It’s very important because [one] of the things we want to make sure [of] is that no development, no housing development, takes place without a secure water distribution arrangement,” he added.

Bartlett has been burnt in the past, with constituents clamouring for him to ensure that water flows from their taps. Rhyne Park is among the areas where residents have been very vocal, and the MP’s comments came during a recent tour of the community’s water supply system. He was joined by minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister, Matthew Samuda, and personnel from the National Water Commission (NWC).

“We suffered in Rhyne Park, as you know. We’ve suffered greatly because we built 2,000-odd houses there without an adequate water arrangement,” Bartlett admitted.

He noted, however, that improvements set to come on stream by the end of September are expected to address those challenges.

“I’m advised that both… the Rhyne Park system and the Canaan Adelphi system — which are in an advance state of completion — will be ready… It will then solve the problems of water, once and for all, for East Central St James,” the obviously happy MP said.

For the Rhyne Park system, the work being done has a price tag of $605 million.

“This investment involves significant investment in storage capacity to put in new tanks but it also, importantly, involves investment in the mechanical side. So, we’ve changed out the pumping infrastructure and we’re now in a position to ensure that we’re able to provide in excess of 1.1 million gallons daily — which is more than is needed and will be needed,” said Samuda.