National Water Commission Suspends Pipe Line Extension

Developers and other persons who may be contemplating constructing major housing facilities in the parish are being put on notice that water will not be available to them from the National Water Commission (NWC) for at least another two to three years.

This was disclosed by Secretary Manager of the Manchester Parish Council (MPC) Mr. Alfred Graham, during the October monthly meeting of the Parish Council.

Mr. Graham read a letter from the NWC informing the council that due to financial constraints and the lack of water resources, no further extension of the NWC pipe lines will be under taken. He said, the NWC indicated that the entire island will be affected by these new policies.

The announcement drew the wrath of the councilors, who had a long list of communities which, have been waiting for years for the NWC to make the commodity available to them.

Mayor Brenda Ramsay, said this is a “frightening” development given the importance of water to the residents and the development of the parish. Her concerns were also echoed by other councilors who told the Gleaner the negative effect on future investments will be significant. Mayor Ramsay, as well as the other councilors, was particularly concerned about the effect the NWC’s suspension of extending its pipelines, will have on the six hundred unit Perth housing scheme under development by the National Housing Trust (NHT) in the parish.

In the meantime, Councilor for the Grovetown division, Iceval Brown is demanding that the NWC restore and return control of the parish tanks located across the parish to the Manchester Parish Council. The tanks, which once supplied various communities with water over the years, were taken over by the NWC in 2003. However, they have since fell into disrepair and have been out of service for a number of years.

Source: PaceTV