MAY PEN, Clarendon — Parish councill hors in this south-central parish are pondering the longstanding problem of inadequate potable water.
A news release said councillors attending a meeting of the Infrastructure and Traffic management committee of the Clarendon Parish Council supported a proposal for a water summit of stakeholders including the National Water Commission (NWC), the Water Resources Authority, Rural Water Supply Limited and the Clarendon Municipal Corporation to explore options.
Suggestions at the committee meeting included one for water to be gravity fed from the Bull Head Mountains to neighbouring communities.
It was also argued that completion of the Mason River Water Supply project, for which ground was broken in August 2015, could solve water problems being faced in the north of the parish.
Mayor of May Pen and chairman of the council, Winston Maragh assured councillors that the Mason River Water Project would be given attention shortly.
He also announced a month-end tour of some of the parish's water sources with the managing directors of the Rural Water Supply Limited and Water Resources Authority to explore the possibility of improving the parish's domestic supply.
Maragh said the Municipal Corporation through its Minor Water department is currently putting together a comprehensive water supply improvement project along with estimates to submit to the Ministry of Finance and other funding agencies through the Rural Water Supply Limited.
The magnitude of the challenges faced by the Municipal Corporation in providing potable water to a greater numbers of citizens is disproportionate to the funding it receives to undertake minor water supply projects and functions. The shortfall in funding is compounded by the low levels of compliance in fee payment among citizens who use the service, the news release said.