NWC gets new trucks

The National Water Commission (NWC) has acquired 12 new water trucks to support the restoration of water services to communities, following the disruption caused by the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

Acquired at a cost of $199 million, the trucks, which represent an added 146,000 litres of water-hauling capacity per cycle, will stabilise emergency supplies while permanent repairs to water systems continue. They will also strengthen the country's long-term disaster response capacity. Three of the units will be deployed to the Manchester and St Elizabeth region; three to Hanover and Westmoreland; two to St James and Trelawny; two to the North-East region (St Ann/St Mary adjacent zones); one to Kingston and St Andrew, and St Thomas; and one for Clarendon and St Catherine.

Addressing the handover ceremony at the NWC's Marescaux Road facility in Kingston on Tuesday, Prime Minister, Dr Andrew Holness, explained that the units were acquired through an emergency procurement process, which took approximately two and half weeks. He noted that units bought in the past utilising the standard procurement procedure took approximately one year.

Holness said the acquisition of the trucks will strengthen the country's long-term disaster response capacity and increase the internal capacity of the NWC to deal with weather events such as droughts. Holness said the NWC will forge strategic partnerships with the private sector to build the reserve capacity that is needed in the country.

"We need a fleet of about 100 or more water trucks, and that really should be a private sector endeavour," he said.