Water Resources Authority Working to Build Resilience to Saline Intrusion

The Water Resources Authority (WRA) is working to preserve the quality of Jamaica’s ground water resources by building resilience to saline intrusion.

The process of encroachment of saltwater into freshwater sources and other coastal water bodies, saline intrusion can potentially affect drinking water, agriculture, and ecosystems such as fish populations.

Speaking at a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank, Environmental Officer at the WRA, Orlando Thomas, said the entity has completed a Water Study Atlas to assess and rank the parameters of saline intrusion in the country.

“The first parameter is chloride [which] is an important parameter with respect to saline intrusion, and our study showed that areas along the coast have the most severe impact. Areas such as the Rio Cobre, Great River, the Martha Brae and the Cabarita River showed the greatest impact. The second parameter is sodium [and] similarly to chloride, areas along the coast showed the greatest impact,” he noted.

Mr. Thomas said further assessments have revealed that in addition to glacier degradation causing sea-level rise, other factors such as overpumping of some wells has exacerbated the risk of saline intrusion.

“The quality of the groundwater resources is still, however, suitable for several uses, including domestic, agriculture and recreation,” he assured.

Senior Environmental Officer at the WRA, Safiya Rhoden, for her part, said that assessing the extent of saline intrusion is crucial to the entity’s work in effectively managing the country’s water resources.

“By monitoring our water resources and water quality we can determine just how much of an impact there is [and] track changes to see if there’s any improvement or deterioration over time. When we have identified areas that are at risk, then that feeds into our decision on how we allocate water resources,” she pointed out.

“So, for areas that are at high risk of or threatened by high salinity, then we will say ‘let us reduce the amount of water that is being allocated from this region’, or we may have to put a stop on allocation so that the freshwater reserves can build up,” Mrs. Rhoden said.

She cited the establishment of the Managed Artificial Recharge Programme in Innswood, St. Catherine, as part of measures to address saline intrusion.

“That is basically creating an artificial aquifer so that we can have recharging of our groundwater resources, and that is helping to build resilience,” she said.