The National Water Commission (NWC) has taken a major step to improve wastewater management in Portland with the signing of a financing agreement with the Tourism Enhancement Fund (TEF).

Through a memorandum of understanding (MoU), the TEF will be providing funding for the installation of a lift station to connect Carder Park and the Port Antonio Craft Market to the sewerage network.

Praising Portland’s natural beauty and the industrious spirit of its people, TEF executive director Dr Carey Wallace noted that the funding is aimed at enhancing the parish’s overall tourism offering.

“So, the TEF, partnering with the NWC for this lift station, is a token that is meant to encourage, meant to facilitate, meant to be the fuel, but you guys are the engines. It’s the Jamaicans, the people that are the engines of tourism,” he said at the recent agreement signing ceremony held at Carder Park in Port Antonio.

Also acknowledging the strengths of Portland, de facto Water Minister Matthew Samuda said that the parish is poised for major development, which will be enhanced by a cleaner environment.

“This partnership between the National Water Commission and, indeed, the Tourism Enhancement Fund, is representative of this government’s commitment to cleaning and greening the length and breadth of Jamaica,” he said.

“Port Antonio is slated for massive development, but not massive development that changes the character of Port Antonio… But the sort of development that unlocks the true potential of her people, the true potential of this awesome geography, opens it up to the rest of the world to see what we all know is here. That can’t happen if you don’t protect your environment, your soil quality, your water quality and your shore environment. That can’t happen without good wastewater systems.”

The TEF-funded works will involve the design and installation of a sewer network for both facilities, the installation of a grease trap at the Craft Market, the construction of a sump and pump station for sewage collection and the laying of a pumping line across the West Town River Bridge and along Allan Avenue.

These works will integrate the two facilities into the existing sewer system, ensuring that all wastewater is conveyed to the Anchovy Wastewater Treatment Plant (WWTP) for full treatment before discharge.

Highlighting the environmental benefits of the project, Richard Williams, NWC’s regional manager for Portland, St Mary and St Ann, and Port Antonio Mayor Paul Thompson, welcomed the initiative.

The signing of this agreement signals a key step toward making the Port Antonio sewerage system fully operational.