Ministry seeks to ensure schools, farmers have adequate water

Water Minister Matthew Samuda says the Government is taking action to ensure that schools, farmers, and early childhood institutions have adequate water supplies amid worsening drought conditions.

Addressing the official commissioning of the Bunkers Hill Water Supply System in Clarendon on Tuesday, he said water trucks would be made available to schools, while a structured tank programme is being developed to assist early childhood institutions and farmers with inadequate storage capacity. Samuda emphasised that “no school must be closed” because of water shortages, adding that the National Water Commission would be resourced to truck water to schools where necessary.

He added that members of Parliament and municipal corporations would also receive additional resources to respond to critical water needs in drought-affected communities. He explained that the expansion is necessary as existing resources allocated to political representatives are being depleted. Samuda urged those with the means to use private water trucks when necessary, allowing government-supported resources to reach those most in need.

He also announced an intervention specifically targeting the early childhood sector, which he described as having been historically under-resourced. Mr Samuda said he has written to the minister of education and is working with the Early Childhood Commission to provide water tanks to basic schools and early childhood institutions that lack sufficient storage. Preliminary assessments indicate that as many as 1,000 schools could require assistance. The programme is also expected to target farmers.

Samuda said the measures are being implemented against the backdrop of increasingly severe climatic conditions, warning that Jamaica is on track to surpass the drought recorded in eastern Jamaica in 2022. He said El Niño conditions are expected to contribute to a significantly hotter and drier period, underscoring the need for the country to adjust to changing weather patterns.