A fact book detailing the island's water resources and supplies was launched yesterday by the Water Resources Authority of Jamaica (WRA).

The 67-page Jamaica Water Resources Fact Book covers several topics, including the nature and distribution of water resources, water infrastructure, flooding, water supply and contamination.

The publication was sponsored by the University of the West Indies' Mona GeoInformatic Institute (MGI), while the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) is helping with its distribution to secondary and tertiary students who are doing geography and the sciences.

At yesterday's launch at the Altamont Court Hotel in Kingston, director of MGI Dr Parris Lyew-Ayee Jr said that the publication not only targeted teachers and students, but also members of the general public.

According to Basil Fernandez, managing director of WRA, the publication was in response to the high demand from high school teachers, students and parents for information.

"We get a lot of requests particularly from teachers and parents for SBAs (School Based Assessments)," he told an audience of mostly school teachers.

Meanwhile, Karen McDonald-Gayle, executive director of the EFJ, said that the foundation decided to support the initiative after they were asked to purchase a copy of the book.

"I encourage you all to read the book and understand the book," she told the guests.

In closing, McDonald-Gayle invited teachers to participate in an activity aimed at re-empahasising that water indeed occupied most of the earth.

The teachers were told to form a semicircle after which McDonald-Gayle threw an inflated plastic globe back and forth to them. The objective was for each catcher to state whether his/her right thumb landed on water or land. Randomly, the majority touched water.