Government has approved an additional J$150 million to increase the emergency response to drought conditions over the next four weeks.

Making the announcement at the weekly Post Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House on Wednesday, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda disclosed that the emergency response would be focused primarily on eastern parishes that are severely affected by the drought.

He noted that households in St Mary, Portland, St Thomas, downtown Kingston, and the hills of St Andrew were particularly affected. However, he added that areas outside of eastern Jamaica where there are issues with water systems, would also receive support.

“That $150 million will be broken down with J$80 million going to the National Water Commission to increase trucking to critical infrastructure, certainly your hospitals, schools, your health centres, and indeed homes for the aged, as well as communities along the utility footprint. We have also allocated J$10 million to the National Irrigation Commission to help with some trucking in the hills of St Catherine, Clarendon, St Mary, and St Ann where we are also having reduced rainfall,” Samuda said.

He further noted that J$60 million of the J$150 million would also go to the Ministry of Local Government to increase its support to local communities within the affected parishes.

“Though the Government has made unprecedented levels of investment in the water infrastructure, the severity of the drought has made it more difficult for the existing water systems to cope. As such, this added investment of J$150 million will assist those areas that are most in need,” he added.

Highlighting the impact of the meteorological drought on the NWC’s operations, Samuda noted that the rainfall received in recent months was not sufficient to recharge the NWC’s systems or the municipal systems.

“The KSA major system input is down approximately 40 percent in total. So we have 40 percent of our normal supplies in the Corporate Area. The current levels in the Mona Reservoir as at Monday (September 11), was 36.1 per cent which is approximately 27 days of storage. The storage situation at Hermitage, having received some rainfall over the past two weeks went up to approximately 53.7 per cent which is something that we manage very carefully”, he disclosed.

The minister noted that the NWC has increased the transfer from Rio Cobre to six million gallons, to offset some of the reductions.

“So for those who are experiencing significant and very stressful impacts of water lock-offs, we want them to understand that this is what the reduction in rainfall has caused. There is no conclusive increase in rainfall expected so even when we do get some inflows over a week or so we will be managing the level of output very carefully,” the minister stated.

Other interventions highlighted by Samuda include the re-activation of a number of wells in the Corporate Area and St Catherine; the removal of unauthorized connections triggering leaks along the Yallahs pipeline; and trucking in excess of J$380 million by the NWC to affected areas as well as the distribution of some storage tanks.