Geography
With a total land area of 10 990 km2, Jamaica is the largest island of the English-speaking Caribbean. Located south of Cuba, it also forms part of the Greater Antilles.
Demographics
Jamaica is the most populous of the CARICOM countries, with a population of 2.6 million. Poverty is pervasive in the country (34.2% of the population), especially for the elderly, those living in rural areas, or female-headed households (over 40% of all households).
Water resources and its administration
Jamaica receives an average of 2 051 mm of precipitation per year, although around 56% of it is lost to evapotranspiration. Although exploitable water comes from both groundwater and surface water runoff, 80% of the country’s water demands do come from groundwater supplies. Desalinated water produced in Jamaica totalled 4.97 * 10^5 m3/year (between 1988 – 1992). The total water withdrawal per capita between 1998 – 2002 was 156 m3/person/year.
The table below, also from the FAO's AQUASTAT features the characteristics of the major water basins of Jamaica.
|
Hydrologic Basin |
Area (km2) |
Rainfall (106 m3) |
Evapo transpiration (106 m3) |
Surface Water Runoff (106 m3) |
Groundwater discharge (106 m3) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Blue Mountains, South |
678 |
1,694 |
912 |
662 |
147 |
|
Kingston |
202 |
312 |
208 |
81 |
50 |
|
Rio Cobre |
1,283 |
2,009 |
1,450 |
177 |
472 |
|
Rio Minho |
1,700 |
2,420 |
1,641 |
225 |
593 |
|
Black River |
1,460 |
2,530 |
1,530 |
346 |
654 |
|
Cabarita River |
924 |
1,890 |
1,019 |
366 |
451 |
|
Great River |
791 |
1,685 |
863 |
467 |
355 |
|
Martha Brae River |
756 |
1,154 |
673 |
279 |
201 |
|
Dry Harbour Mountains |
1,362 |
2,450 |
1,302 |
457 |
691 |
|
Blue Mountains, North |
1,597 |
5,068 |
2,346 |
2,452 |
278 |
|
TOTAL |
10, 753 |
------ |
11,906 |
5,512 |
3,892 |
Administratively, Jamaica is divided into 14 parishes. The National Water Commission (NWC) has the responsibility of providing potable water supplies, and the collection, treatment, and disposal of wastewater. The Water Resources Authority (WRA) was established to be responsible for the management, protection, and controlled allocation and use of Jamaica’s water resources.
In 2001, the Government of Jamaica instituted a new process of local governance reform to increase the powers of the 12 Parish Councils (local government institutions) and to facilitate the direct involvement of citizens in governance in areas such as health, education and public works. The Jamaican government, through IDB support, is currently focusing on community mobilization for the management of potable water. With approximately 40% of the rural population not having safe access to potable water, one of the challenges is to incorporate agricultural equality aspects of water into these community mobilization projects, as well as environmental or social/gender equality aspects as well.
National collaborating agencies
| No. | Agency | Abbr. | Role(s) |
|---|---|---|---|
| 9 | Ministry of Local Government and Environment | MLGE | Community Involvement |
| 1 | Water Resource Authority | WRA | Lead Partner |
| 2 | Min. of Housing, Transportation, Water and Works / Rural Water Programme | RWP | Community Involvement |
| 3 | Min. of Housing, Transportation, Water and Works / Rural Water and Sanitation Project | RWSP | Gender Issues |
| 4 | Unit for Disaster Studies, UWI-MONA | UDS-UWI | Training, Technical |
| 5 | National Environment & Planning Agency | NEPA | Policy Issues |
| 6 | Meteorological Office | JMO | Training, Technical |
| 7 | Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management | ODPEM | Training, Technical |
| 8 | Forestry Department, Ministry of Agriculture | FD-Agr | IWRM Policy |