3,500 residents of Hampshire and Riversdale in North East St. Catherine, are to benefit from a major water supply project.

Ground was broken on Wednesday for phase one of the project, valued at over $300 million.

Minister with responsibility for Water Matthew Samuda, says phase one should last four months.

The water supply to the community has been unreliable for several years as the former source had dried up.

A new source, the Hamwalk/Redwood Water Supply System will be used to supply Riversdale/Hampshire, and a separate pipeline will be run from that source to interconnect with the existing pipeline into the community.

Meantime, the minister highlighted other investments to be made in the water sector.

Rural water will be expending close to JM$1 billion a year, for the next three years, on small rural water systems.

The National Works Agency, is also investing JM$5 billion in partnership with the National Water Commission, to relay water pipes in effecting the Spark Road Rehabilitation programme.

The National Housing Trust (NHT) will invest several billion dollars into the water and other infrastructure networks of several of the older communities in Jamaica.

And, the Jamaica Social Investment Fund will invest more than $3 billion in water systems over the next three years.