Govt upgrades NWC testing lab

Jamaica's government has upgraded the National Water Commission's ( NWC) testing laboratory to improve the accuracy of its water meters, government news agency JIS reported. The work cost US$14mn and was carried out under the government's Jamaica water supply improvement project (JWSIP). The testing laboratory, which is now ISO certified, is a crucial component for ensuring greater customer satisfaction, according to water and housing minister Horace Chang. "The critical element in all of this is not the meter, it's to have a reliable supply of water, and that's what JWSIP is setting out to do," Chang said. The project will also involve installing 70,000 new water meters between capital Kingston and Ocho Rios, in St Ann parish, as well as removing and testing older meters. So far, some 40,000 meters have been removed, of which some 80% can be reused, the report said.