WRA to Host Inaugural ‘Value of Water 2 Me’ Exhibition on January 30

The Water Resources Authority (WRA) will host its inaugural public education exhibition, titled: ‘Value of Water 2 Me: Embracing Jamaica’s Lifeblood’, on Friday, January 30.

The exhibition, which aims to promote the protection, conservation and sustainable use of Jamaica’s water resources, will be held at the Police Officers’ Club playfield in Kingston, from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Originally scheduled for October 2025, the exhibition was postponed following the passage of Hurricane Melissa.

The programme will include, among other engagements, an official booth walk-through led by Minister of Water, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Matthew Samuda, who has portfolio responsibility for the WRA, and the keynote address by Climate Scientist at the University of the West Indies, Dr. Jayaka Campbell.

Information, Records and Communications Manager at the WRA, Odean Senior, told JIS News that the effects of the hurricane on the water sector will be examined during the exhibition.

“For example, our display at the Water Resources Authority booth will showcase flooding from Content, Manchester, and other communities that were flooded. We will be engaging in discussion about what we are seeing in the data coming out of Hurricane Melissa [and] what the team experienced when they went out post-hurricane,” she said.

“We had a lot of questions coming in after the passage of Hurricane Melissa… [and] persons still have questions unanswered. This is the forum for you to get the answers to those questions,” Ms. Senior added.

The event will also feature the launch of the ‘Packaged Water – Regulatory Guidelines for Bottlers, Importers and Consumers’, which establishes standards for packaged water while promoting consumer awareness and safeguarding public health.

Ms. Senior noted that the exhibition will additionally “raise awareness of the critical importance of water as a vital and finite resource”.

“We’re trying to emphasise the need for its protection, conservation and sustainable use. The exhibition will provide a platform for stakeholders and students to engage, interact and share their perspectives, and participate in meaningful discussion around water-related issues,” she added.

Exhibitors will demonstrate how water is utilised in their operations and highlight its importance across different industries.

“Don’t just think about water as [something] you need [solely] for household use… or [that] if you don’t see it [visibly]… it doesn’t play a crucial role in a business or industry’s existence. So we will be showcasing that,” Ms. Senior said.

She added that, “for the students that we have at the primary, secondary and tertiary level, we will be having different booths assisting them with PEP (Primary Exit Profile), CSEC (Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate), CAPE (Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination) and water resources management courses [at the] tertiary level”.

The ‘Value of Water 2 Me: Embracing Jamaica’s Lifeblood’ Exhibition is free of cost to the public.

Sponsors include the Vinci Construction Grands Projets, Can-Cara Development Limited, Wisynco Group Limited, National Water Commission (NWC), Pure National Limited, Jamaica Wells and Services Limited, Isratech Jamaica Limited, Scientific Research Council, National Irrigation Commission, LCH Development, Trade Winds Citrus Limited, and Seprod Limited.