Government allocates $500 million for drought relief ahead of school reopening

The Government has approved an additional $500 million to strengthen the national response to Jamaica’s worsening drought and extreme heat, with schools set to reopen next week.

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change Matthew Samuda says $150 million will be allocated to the National Water Commission (NWC) to provide water trucks to schools, health centres, hospitals and other critical facilities, including police stations, particularly those serving as places of detention.

Another $200 million will be channelled through Members of Parliament to provide assistance in their constituencies, while $150 million will be distributed among municipalities to help communities outside the NWC’s service network.

Samuda says the allocation was approved by Cabinet on Monday as the country continues to experience reduced rainfall and severe heat linked to the ongoing El Niño conditions.

“Because the forecast has said we’re unlikely to see a major change in our current rainfall levels until early next year, we’ve made this provision to ensure that we’re able to respond to those most in need, and to critical infrastructure needs and, of course, support back-to-school as best as possible,” he said while examining the progress of the multi-billion-dollar pipe-laying and rehabilitation Munroe Wellington Pipeline Project on Old Hope Road, St Andrew on Tuesday.

He says while the Government hopes weather conditions will improve, forecasts suggest that significant improvement in rainfall is unlikely until early next year.

Samuda says the Government has already spent about $86 million on water trucking since the start of the drought, while more than $15 billion is being spent this year on infrastructure works to upgrade the country’s water distribution system.

He says the drought is affecting social stability, economic activity and the daily lives of Jamaicans, but noted that there is growing public awareness of the need to conserve water.

Samuda says compliance with the Government’s water restrictions has generally improved, with major water storage facilities showing a stabilisation and slower rate of decline.

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