Kingston, Jamaica, 17 July 2026
The Government plans to spend US$200 million replacing worn-out sewerage lines across Kingston and St Andrew, Water, Environment and Climate Change Minister Matthew Samuda has said, in a programme expected to take about two years to build.
The money will be channelled through the National Reconstruction and Resilience Authority (NaRRA), the agency overseeing rebuilding and resilience work. Samuda outlined the plan while speaking at the Jamaica Observer Press Club in St Andrew.
Pipes Long Past Their Time
The minister’s central point was age. Much of the Corporate Area’s sewer network, he said, is carrying more than it was built for and should have been renewed decades ago. “They should have been changed in the 1980s,” he said of the lines.
Overflowing sewage has become a recurring problem in communities such as Trench Town, Greenwich Farm and parts of downtown Kingston. Samuda also singled out backyard pits and poor garbage disposal as threats to the capital’s water security, arguing that informal waste arrangements undermine efforts to protect supply.
Where the Work Will Happen
Areas identified for attention include the corridor running from Mobile Reserve towards North Street and Darling Street, along with West Street, Pink Lane, Collie Smith Drive and roads in Greenwich Farm. Work to replace pipes in Trench Town is already under way.
Engineering has also begun on moving the Greenwich Farm loading bay used by sewage trucks, with that work scheduled to start this year.
Soapberry Plant Up for Divestment
The Soapberry treatment plant was described as operating beyond its useful life and close to full capacity. KPMG has been engaged to provide investment advice, and the water ministry is working with the Ministry of Finance on a transaction to divest the facility. Any buyer would be expected to double the plant’s capacity and upgrade it from secondary to tertiary treatment.
What It Means for Residents and Property Owners
For households in the affected communities, the promise is fewer sewage overflows into streets, yards and schools, although two years of construction will bring disruption along the way. For landlords, buyers and developers across the Corporate Area, sewer capacity is one of the less visible limits on new building. A modern network and a larger, better treatment plant would make denser housing in older inner-city neighbourhoods more practical, and could make those areas more appealing to people looking to live close to downtown Kingston.
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