The pilot phase for the distribution of 3,000 black tanks under the Government’s Rural Water Household Resilient Programme has commenced.

Under the pilot, which is expected to be completed by the end of December, the 400-gallon tanks with supporting infrastructure for rainwater harvesting are being distributed in the constituencies that were hardest hit by the drought and forms part of efforts to promote water harvesting in rural communities.

The programme will be expanded nationally to include all rural constituencies once the pilot is completed.

The distribution of black tanks across Jamaica will serve to ensure water resilience at the household level. The initiative was announced by Prime Minister Andrew Holness during his Budget presentation earlier this year.

Under the initiative, 50,000 black tanks will be provided to residents of rural communities over the next five years to improve water resilience.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda provided an update while tabling the National Water Resources Master Plan and the Rainwater Harvesting Guidelines in the Senate, recently.

“We will work through all teething pains with a small number, first, of 3,000 four hundred-gallon tanks to make sure the distribution process is equitable, efficient and provides transparency to the public by way of how persons would have been selected,” he said.

The Inter-American Development Bank has provided grant funding of $60 million to purchase the tanks.

He said the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, through the Rural Water Agency, will provide funding of J$250 million to facilitate the coordination of the project and the deployment of water harvesting systems and tanks.

“We will install these tanks along with the accompanying rainwater systems for 3,000 households in Jamaica,” Samuda stated.

He said constituencies that will participate in the pilot programme are predominantly in the eastern part of the country. These include St Andrew East and West Rural; St Thomas East and Western; Portland East and West; St Mary Southeast, Central and Western; the southern belt of St Ann, including the southeast and southwest sections; and the hilly northern belt of Clarendon, including the northern, north central
and northwest sections of the parish.

“These tanks will be distributed in areas that are either outside of the utility footprint of the National Water Commission or in an area where that footprint, by way of its infrastructure, is significantly degraded and unable to provide a predictable supply,” he said.

Samuda revealed that members of parliament (MPs) in the constituencies have submitted 230 names each for recipients of these tanks.

“The teams at Rural Water and the Social Review Committee have commenced the roll-out of the rainwater harvesting systems and tanks. The same oversight process that is under way for the New Social Housing Programme will be used in assessing the recommendations from MPs to ensure that its constituents most in need get the benefit that the Government will provide,” he said.

Samuda said each location that a tank is provided will be mapped and geotagged to ensure accountability, but also to ensure “we start the process of properly assessing the true national storage capacity for water”.

Another important element for the project involves training, whereby each member of parliament has identified 10 young persons who will be taught to do installations by the HEART/NSTA Trust and will receive a stipend for their work during the project.