Bunkers Hill, Clarendon, 15 September 2026
About 1,000 residents in four rural Clarendon districts now have a more dependable piped water supply after Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) commissioned a $91-million solar-powered system at Bunkers Hill.
The project serves Bunkers Hill, Mears, Broadleaf and Nearing Castle. It was carried out with the Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change and the National Water Commission.
What was built
Crews restored an existing 5,000-gallon steel roadside tank and put up a new elevated steel tank holding 10,000 gallons. Pumping is now driven by solar power, and roughly 9.3 kilometres of distribution pipe was laid at a cost of around $91.5 million.
RWSL Deputy Chairman Peter Clarke said the solar pumping reflects the agency’s focus on renewable energy and resilience, and that the system could later be converted to a hybrid set-up to lengthen pumping hours. He asked residents to protect the new equipment, noting that doing so safeguards their own supply.
More projects in the pipeline
Mr Clarke described the Bunkers Hill system as one part of a longer programme of rural investment. Nearby at Brandon Hill, also in Clarendon, an existing system is being upgraded with a better intake and concrete sump, cleaned and waterproofed tanks, and solar panels. Close to $170 million has gone into that project, which is designed to reach around 3,000 people in about 600 households.
He also mentioned earlier and continuing work in James Hill, Portland Cottage, Rocky Point and Mason River. In his view, the real measure of the spending is the difference a reliable supply makes to people’s daily lives, and he said “reliable water makes stronger communities”.
Why water matters for homes and land
Mr Clarke pointed out that many Jamaicans take running water for granted, yet the lack of a steady supply affects how households cope, how businesses operate and how communities grow. For rural homeowners, piped water can cut the time and expense of trucking or storing water. For buyers and those planning to build in the countryside, a reliable connection is one of the first questions worth asking about any lot, alongside road access and title.
As more rural systems come online, districts once considered hard to live in may become more practical places to settle, rent or retire.
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