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Jamaica's Water Resources Authority The Water Authority (WRA) is responsible for the management, protection, controlled allocation and utilization of the water resources of Jamaica. The WRA maintains a hydrological database and provides data, information and technical assistance to governments and non-governmental institutions. The major activities of the WRA include: hydrologic data collection, compilation, and analysis; water resources investigation, assessment, and planning; water resources allocation; and environmental monitoring and impact assessment. The WRA routinely monitors river flows at 133 gauging stations, and groundwater at 1,802 sites across the island. It has a database of quality-checked data, stored in computerised format dating back to the 1950s. Projects, such as the Rio Cobre Dam Reconstruction, benefitted greatly from the use of this database. Rational water allocation was formally facilitated by the issuing of licences for groundwater abstraction. Since the enactment of the Water Resources Act of 1995, entities abstracting surface water have been required to obtain licences. The Act gives to the WRA the responsibility for planning the orderly development and equitable allocation of water resources, including the analysis of alternative methods of developing and supplying water. Policies Some of the existing policies related to water supply and sanitation are: The Water Sector Policy Paper (1999) "outlines the current situation and problems within the water sector , defines the objectives of the Government to address the issues, and sets out the mode of implementation." The National Solid Waste Management Policy (2000) establishes the framework for standard setting and regulatory agency, the National Solid Waste Management Authority which facilitates the private sector as the principal service provider. The policy also indicates cost recovery provision as key, establishments of sanitary landfills, and solid waste management. The draft National sanitation policy for Jamaica of 2005 notes that there are overlapping responsibilities at the national and local levels of government and a need for greater collaboration between NGOs, Community-based organizations, community members, as well as the government. The Water Sector Policy, Strategy and Action Plan (2004) has as its main objective to ensure that all households have access to water by 2010, sewer all major towns by 2020, as well as rehabilitate existing non-compliant facilities to achieve compliance with national environmental standards. The Rural Water Supply Master Plan, announced in 2008, is currently under elaboration. Regulation The Office of Utilities Regulation (OUR), established by an Act of Parliament in 1995, regulates, among others, water and sanitation service provision. The Office approves tariffs, sets targets for efficiency improvements, processes all license applications for utility services and makes recommendations to the Minister. Water Resources Authority Hope Gardens P.O. Box 91, Kingston 7 Jamaica, West Indies Basil Fernandez, Managing Director Email: bfernandez@wra.gov.jm Tel: (876) 927-0077 Fax: (876) 977-0179