With the effects of climate change continuing to wreak havoc on the country’s economy and environment, JN Foundation Chairman Parris Lyew-Ayee Sr is warning that an immediate national effort is critical to preserving Jamaica’s water supplies.

Speaking ahead of the foundation’s upcoming staging of its virtual JN Climate Change, Sustainability and Innovation Water Summit, slated for May 13 to May 14, Lyew-Ayee said: “While our efforts to reduce our own contribution to climate change have been valiant, what’s more important is curtailing the devastating effects of climate change on our country that we have very little control over.”

He added: “Jamaica and other small-island developing states stand to be affected the most, simply because of our small geographical size, isolation and exposure. The most critical threat is our access to water.”

RETROFITTING HOMES MOST EFFECTIVE MOVE

Lyew-Ayee explained specifically that the extended drought periods due to altered rainfall patterns, in conjunction with the dire need to upgrade water catchment systems, have been limiting the country’s immediate supply. To this end, he proposed that the single-most effective action that the nation can collectively take to mitigate this is retrofitting homes and places of business with water-efficient technologies such as rainwater harvesting, grey water recycling, water-efficient faucets, shower heads and aerators.

“We should also take a look at having the construction industry include water-conservation fittings and systems in all its future projects.”

In its bid to educate the public and lead discussions with industry stakeholders, the foundation’s upcoming two-day virtual event will showcase local entrepreneurship related to climate resilience and propose solutions to the ongoing water-management issues, all while especially seeking the government’s commitment to ensuring the uptake of water-efficiency measures in Jamaica’s housing sector.

Pearnel Charles Jr, minister of housing, urban renewal, environment and climate change, who will also join the summit’s discussions, said during his contribution to the 2021-22 Sectoral Debate in the House of Representatives last week, that “climate change threatens the very economic base on which we seek to build our country”.

Said Charles: “Cognisant of this, my ministry is moving to advance progress in building the country’s resilience to climate change … and we are going to work assiduously to ensure Jamaica is in tune with all the work being done by our climate-change division.”

Charles, along with other summit event speakers, will speak to the Draft National Housing Policy, specifically G.1.2.2, which aims to encourage the retrofitting of housing infrastructure to render them water efficient and to support climate-resilient housing developments within the national climate change framework.

70,000 HOUSING UNITS BY 2023

Mention is also expected to be made of Goal 4 of the Government of Jamaica’s Vision 2030 National Development Plan, which outlines leveraging the National Housing Trust and the Housing Agency of Jamaica to construct 70,000 housing units in order to give Jamaicans access to safe, sustainable and affordable housing by 2023.

The summit is the culmination of a series of activities that comprise The Water Project Jamaica, a four-year project executed by the JN Foundation in collaboration with the Inter-American Development Bank that focuses on the important role that householders and developers should play to improve efficient water use in the housing sector.