Gov’t Streamlining Activities for Flood Water Control

The Government is moving to streamline responsibility for flood-water control in Jamaica.

This disclosure was made by Managing Director, Water Resources Authority (WRA), Peter Clarke, while addressing the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Regional Conference (Regional Association IV) at The Jamaica Pegasus hotel in New Kingston on February 7.

“As we speak, the Government is proceeding to separate responsibilities under the Flood Water Control Act,” he said

He said that currently, the legislation, which, among other things, provides for the establishment, construction and maintenance of all flood-water control works, falls under the purview of the National Works Agency (NWA), but noted that some responsibilities are best served under the WRA.

“The NWA has been largely responsible for building the structures to handle floods, such as gully ways and those sorts of things. With the separation, what it means is that the aspects that are data-driven, the decisions that will be coming from data and from modelling will then reside with others, in this case, with the water resources regulator,” Mr. Clarke said.

“They will then define and present to the Works Agency the kind of information that they will need to design and construct the proper structures to handle floods and to deal with floods,” Mr. Clarke pointed out.

Established by the Water Resources Act 1995, the WRA is responsible for the management, protection and controlled allocation and use of the water resources of Jamaica.

The entity maintains a hydrological database and provides data, information and technical assistance to government and non-governmental institutions.

Held from February 6 to 9, the four-day WMO regional conference attracted more than 60 participants from 20 countries in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.

Discussions focused on increasing weather, water and climate resilience in the targeted region.