Another year for well programme

The National Housing Corporation (NHC) has spent $2.5 million on its ongoing well repair and replacement programme.

General Manager of the NHC Ian Cupid-Gill told members of the media today during the handing over of the second completed electrical upgrade programme at Deacon’s, St Michael, that there is still a lot of work to be done to bring wells at government estates across the island up to standard.

He said based on a meeting held on Thursday with the NHC board, the well repair and replacement programme is on track and could possibly be completed within another year. He said NHC has employed a number of skilled persons across the island to carry out the works at the various estates.

Cupid-Gill said: “We know there are issues out there and we are working on ways to fix them. We have brought in engineers in aiding us to make sure that we can come to a successful completion of this project. I would say that within another 12 months span we would have completed, 90 per cent or more, because there are so many wells in this country it is unbelievable.

“Just sitting in a meeting and hearing how many are across the estates, and there are around 80 estates in this country. But we intend to work to make sure that we can bring some sort of peace to the parents so their children and their families can move around the communities safely,” he explained.

The NHC boss also indicated that the corporation, which is the executing agency of Government’s repair and rebuilding programme for houses damaged or destroyed by the freak storm and Hurricane Elsa, will soon be on the road with the Urban Development Corporation and the Rural Development Corporation to assist the affected.

“We will be coming to you very soon and we are working very hard. We have started the process and there are quite a few people who have had solutions from Hurricane Elsa and from the tropical wave, but there are so many more,” said Cupid-Gill (AH)