Government Allocates $350 Million in Urgent Drought Mitigation Measures
In response to worsening drought conditions affecting the island, Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, the Honourable Matthew Samuda, announced a comprehensive $350 million drought mitigation programme aimed at providing immediate relief and strengthening long-term water resilience across Jamaica.
Minister Samuda made the announcement on Wednesday (July 16) at a Special Post Cabinet Press Briefing at Jamaica House.
Following presentations from Evan Thompson, Principal Director of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica; Peter Clarke, Managing Director of the Water Resources Authority; and Garth Jackson, Acting President of the National Water Commission, all of whom highlighted a widespread decline in rainfall leading to reduced water storage, Minister Samuda outlined the Government’s targeted response, including direct support to communities, support critical water infrastructure, and measures to strengthen agricultural resilience.
“Consequent on the three presentations you would have just heard from the Met Service, the WRA and the National Water Commission, I’m announcing this morning a suite of measures for drought mitigation efforts from your government of 350 million Jamaican dollars.”
Of this amount, $250 million will be managed by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, with $150 million directed toward water trucking operations through Members of Parliament. An additional $50 million will be allocated to the National Water Commission (NWC) for trucking support to critical infrastructure, and another $50 million will go toward purchasing water storage tanks to support vulnerable communities.
In partnership with the Ministry of Agriculture, a further $100 million will be spent on water trucking, drip irrigation systems, and grass purchases to protect farmers’ livelihoods. Minister Samuda confirmed that Agriculture Minister Floyd Green will provide more details on the agricultural component later this week.
The Minister also noted that while such interventions are uncommon in mid-year, climate irregularities including below-average rainfall and reduced streamflow have made it necessary to take early action.
“It is unusual that this sort of intervention takes place at this time of the year and as everyone would have said and would have shown in his graphs, we are not getting the rainfall that is in line with our 30-year calculated averages and that in and of itself creates a very difficult circumstance for the water sector.”
Minister Samuda emphasized the scale of recent infrastructure investment in the water sector, highlighting $22 billion in capital projects currently underway across potable water, sewage, and irrigation systems. These projects, once completed, will benefit more than 900,000 Jamaicans, including communities that have historically been underserved or drought-vulnerable.
“We are more resilient today to drought than we were three years ago, but we have more work to do, and we assure you that we will continue to do that work and invest behind the efforts of the Water Commission, of Rural Water Supply Limited that helps the municipalities, and of course the National Irrigation Commission.”
Key infrastructure projects highlighted include:
- The Western Water Resilience Project, improving water processing, distribution, and storage from Martha Brae to Roaring River, Westmoreland.
- The Rio Cobre Water Supply System, currently under construction, which will deliver 15 million gallons of water daily—enough to eliminate shortages experienced in Kingston and St. Andrew during the 2022 drought.
- Continued expansion of the non-revenue water programme, with $10 billion in NWC-led line replacements and an additional $5 billion through the National Works Agency’s SPARC initiative, alongside works by JASIF and NHT in vulnerable communities.
To ensure equitable implementation and social stability, the government is working with the police, fire brigade, and Social Development Commission (SDC) to manage water distribution and community engagement.
Samuda also reminded the public of recent progress in agricultural resilience, referencing the commissioning of the Parnassus Irrigation Scheme in Clarendon and ground-breaking for the Pedro Plains Scheme in St. Elizabeth, which will expand water access for farmers in some of Jamaica’s most productive areas.
In closing, Minister Samuda stated: “This intervention is tailored to ensure that citizens get the response from their government that they deserve to ensure that we keep water available to all citizens.”
The Government continues to operate through the Drought Management Committee of the Integrated Water Resources Management Council, ensuring that every dollar of the $350 million allocation is directed to those most in need.