Hermitage Dam to be upgraded

The Government, through the National Water Commission (NWC), is to upgrade the Hermitage Dam at an estimated cost of US$250 million.

Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Matthew Samuda, made the disclosure during his contribution to the 2026/27 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives on April 28.

Samuda said the project will include a comprehensive technical assessment of structural integrity, sediment levels, and eventual capacity enhancements. “Complementing this initiative is a planned review, which is under way, of the Mona Reservoir to determine the appropriate size of an expansion of this facility as well as necessary rehabilitation works.

The third pillar of our capacity increase programme is, indeed, the construction of the Rock River Dam in Clarendon,” he stated.

At the community level, the NWC has identified critical storage tanks which are necessary to strengthen secondary storage and will be expending US$7 million this fiscal year to increase storage at points of elevation benefiting communities.

Samuda said the NWC has also enhanced its emergency response capability through the deployment of portable water treatment units and strategic partnerships with private suppliers to supplement water availability during drought conditions and supply disruptions.

“New treatment capacity is also being pursued with the intended development of water treatment plants at Roaring River in Westmoreland and at Rio Bueno through PPPs (public-private partnerships), which the Government has engaged the IFC (International Finance Corporation), the private-sector arm of the World Bank, to work with us to ensure that we get the best competitive offer,” he stated.

“We will further complete the engineering and planning works that will allow for the upgrade and expansion of the White River Treatment Plant, the Martha Brae Treatment Plant, and the Great River Treatment Plant facilities. This will add some 30 million gallons daily to the north coast,” he added.

Meanwhile, Samuda said the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), presents an opportunity for Jamaica to increase its resilience in the water sector.

He informed that further critical infrastructure to be undertaken with NaRRA includes the rehabilitation and replacement of the Yallahs/Negro River raw water pipeline, which will address ageing infrastructure and improve supply reliability to the Kingston Metropolitan Area.

- JIS News

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