Donald BuchananTHE MASTER Plan of the Water Resources Authority (WRA) will be updated this year through a grant from the Inter-American Development Bank.
Donald Buchanan, Minister of Water and Housing made the announcement in the House last Wednesday, during his contribution to the 2002/2003 Sectoral Debate.
He said the updating of the Master Plan which was last done in 1990, was critical to ensuring the country's water resources are properly managed.
The role of the WRA will be augmented to include flood water control, monitoring and planning.
"This will rationalise the institutional arrangement for flood water control with the National Works Agency retaining responsibility for design and construction of flood water structures," the Minister said.
He explained that the major tool for allocating water resources to contending users was the water resources master plan. The plan, at a given point in time establishes the quantity and quality of water in the various hydrological basins and juxtaposes this with demand in order to establish the water balance.
Mr. Buchanan told the House that drafting instructions had been issued to the office of the Chief Parliamentary Counsel to amend the Flood Water Control Act and the Water Resources Act to reflect the new role of the WRA. He said the Authority will be "appropriately strengthened to effect this new mandate".
According to the Minister, Jamaicans should take pride in the fact that "we have in the Water Resources Authority the premiere agency for water resources management in the entire English speaking Caribbean".
