WRA To Launch Water Resources Master Plan

Jamaica’s first water resources master plan since 1990 will be launched on World Water Day, March 22, at the AC Hotel by Marriott in New Kingston.

The plan was developed by the Water Resources Authority (WRA), which has responsibility for managing the country’s water resources.

Chief Hydrologist at the WRA, Geoffrey Marshall, made the disclosure while speaking at a Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank on March 15.

“We have been working on a master plan for the past few years and now we have managed to complete this draft here, which will be launched next Tuesday. The plan should be updated about every five years, and we are going to be planning for this schedule, going forward, as best as possible,” he said.

Preservation of underground water is an important element of the plan and is also the focus of World Water Day, under the theme ‘Groundwater: making the invisible visible’.

Mr. Marshall said that at least 84 per cent of the available water in Jamaica is stored as groundwater.

“Groundwater is important. Remember that even though it may be out of sight, it is critical that we manage and monitor it,” he noted.

Preparation of the master plan is a requirement under the Water Resources Act, 1995.

The plan guides the country’s water resources development activities to meet current and future demands. It also gives an overview of water usage by all users across Jamaica and provides an inventory of surface and groundwater resources.