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UHWI second hospital to be hit by water shortage
Gov't to spend $477-m on worst drought in 20 years
Thursday, December 10, 2009
THERE were reports last night that the regional University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) was without water all day yesterday, becoming the second hospital to be so hit, as the prolonged drought tightened its grip on the island.
Last week, the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) found itself without water, forcing authorities to truck the precious liquid to the institution in downtown Kingston.
Government, calling the drought one of the worst in the past 20 years, announced yesterday it would spend $477 million over the next six months to mitigate against the current water crisis, and acknowledged that communities were reeling from the shortage.
The Mona Dam
CHANG... it can get more severe
Water minister Dr Horace Chang, who described the situation as "traumatic", said the water shortage was not expected to go away any time soon.
"It can get more severe," Chang cautioned journalists at yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in Kingston.
"How long we have water depends on how well we can manage what we have but what we are working on is to ensure that the Mona reservoir does not fall by more than one million gallon a day, which would give us adequate supplies to maintain what we are now doing all the way to March," he explained.
Chang said several initiatives would be implemented over the next six months by his ministry and the National Water Commission (NWC) to mitigate against the drought.
This includes a $142-million restoration of five wells at Havendale, Devon House, King's House, Hampstead off Mountain View Avenue in Kingston, and Bernard Lodge, St Catherine, to produce almost 500 million gallons of water per day.
"We are confident that by February, that in addition to trucking and other mitigation and conservation methods, we should be able to bring on stream another 500 million gallons of water in the Corporate Area," Chang said.
Other initiatives include a massive public education campaign billed at $17 million to sensitise Jamaicans on mitigation and conservation measures, as well as the provision of 200-gallon black tanks to first-time affected householders at a reduced cost.
Additionally, the Rural Water Supply Limited will be completing 17 projects islandwide at a cost of $97.28 to bring an additional 1.6 to two million gallons per day of new water into the system .
In the meantime, Chang said they are working with institutions to better manage water supplies.
He cited the recent water shortage at the KPH as an example of water not being managed well, noting that the institution had adequate storage and infrastructure.
In other instances, he said schools were without water pumps or proper connections, and as such the National Water Commission would be offering these institutions free consultation.
In the meantime, Chang said he was aware that persons were being charged exorbitant fees to have water trucked to their premises, but promised that corrective measures would be taken when this practice was reported .
Gov't to spend $477-m on worst drought in 20 years
Thursday, December 10, 2009
THERE were reports last night that the regional University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) was without water all day yesterday, becoming the second hospital to be so hit, as the prolonged drought tightened its grip on the island.
Last week, the Kingston Public Hospital (KPH) found itself without water, forcing authorities to truck the precious liquid to the institution in downtown Kingston.
Government, calling the drought one of the worst in the past 20 years, announced yesterday it would spend $477 million over the next six months to mitigate against the current water crisis, and acknowledged that communities were reeling from the shortage.
The Mona Dam
CHANG... it can get more severe
Water minister Dr Horace Chang, who described the situation as "traumatic", said the water shortage was not expected to go away any time soon.
"It can get more severe," Chang cautioned journalists at yesterday's post-Cabinet press briefing at Jamaica House in Kingston.
"How long we have water depends on how well we can manage what we have but what we are working on is to ensure that the Mona reservoir does not fall by more than one million gallon a day, which would give us adequate supplies to maintain what we are now doing all the way to March," he explained.
Chang said several initiatives would be implemented over the next six months by his ministry and the National Water Commission (NWC) to mitigate against the drought.
This includes a $142-million restoration of five wells at Havendale, Devon House, King's House, Hampstead off Mountain View Avenue in Kingston, and Bernard Lodge, St Catherine, to produce almost 500 million gallons of water per day.
"We are confident that by February, that in addition to trucking and other mitigation and conservation methods, we should be able to bring on stream another 500 million gallons of water in the Corporate Area," Chang said.
Other initiatives include a massive public education campaign billed at $17 million to sensitise Jamaicans on mitigation and conservation measures, as well as the provision of 200-gallon black tanks to first-time affected householders at a reduced cost.
Additionally, the Rural Water Supply Limited will be completing 17 projects islandwide at a cost of $97.28 to bring an additional 1.6 to two million gallons per day of new water into the system .
In the meantime, Chang said they are working with institutions to better manage water supplies.
He cited the recent water shortage at the KPH as an example of water not being managed well, noting that the institution had adequate storage and infrastructure.
In other instances, he said schools were without water pumps or proper connections, and as such the National Water Commission would be offering these institutions free consultation.
In the meantime, Chang said he was aware that persons were being charged exorbitant fees to have water trucked to their premises, but promised that corrective measures would be taken when this practice was reported .
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