Water shortage woes affecting sections of the Corporate Area during the dry months may soon be a thing of the past upon the completion of the Rio Cobre Treatment Plant project slated to begin this year.

The US$77 million public-private partnership will provide an additional 15.5 million gallons of water daily to the Kingston Metropolitan Area on its completion.

For the 2024/2025 financial year, twenty-one additional water supply upgrading and expansion projects are planned with a projected expenditure of over J$2.5 billion.

Governor-General Sir Patrick Allen made the announcement while delivering the Throne speech at Gordon House on Thursday (February 15).

During the speech, he heralded the strides the country has been making toward becoming a peaceful, productive, and prosperous nation as well as upcoming projects, and reiterated its commitment to implementing a rural student transportation system to provide an “affordable alternative for students in rural Jamaica who do not benefit from the transportation subsidies that are available in the Kingston Metropolitan Transport Region (KMTR) through the JUTC.”

He said the Public Passenger Transport Stakeholder Committee will begin to address the provision of transportation for rural students in the new financial year. 

Transport Minister Daryl Vaz announced last year that the transport system for rural students will be, “safe and secure as well as reduce absenteeism and lateness.”