MINISTER with responsibility for water Matthew Samuda has welcomed the decision by the World Bank Group to include Jamaica among the “first movers” in its Water Forward initiative launched on Wednesday.

The World Bank Group, in partnership with multilateral development banks, development finance institutions and key partners, launched Water Forward as a global platform to help improve water security for one billion people by 2030.

According to the World Bank Group, the platform will align policy reforms, financing, and partnerships to expand reliable water services and strengthen systems against droughts and floods — essential conditions for job creation.

Samuda, who represented Jamaica at the launch of the platform in New York, told the Jamaica Observer that by being included as one of the 14 first movers, Jamaica is accepted as one of the countries working to address water challenges.

“By presenting its ‘Water Compact’, Jamaica has signalled to the World Bank, its network of partners, and the global financial markets that ending water scarcity is a priority of the Government. It should send the signal to every Jamaican that this Government is cognisant of the scale of the problem and its impact of local communities and households, and will leverage every relationship Jamaica has globally to resolve this long-standing issue in the quickest possible time,” declared Samuda.

He pointed out that the Government engaged the World Bank a little over two years ago to develop a full water sector plan for Jamaica.

“The joining of this Water Forward initiative gives Jamaica pride of place in accessing the significant technical and financial resources of the bank. The full project plan with timelines will be presented soon; however, the first phase of this programme will last five years.

“The ambition of this Water Forward Initiative is a perfect fit from the Government’s current Water Sector Policy. This initiative however calls for regulatory review, and that is indeed due for Jamaica’s water sector,” added Samuda.

The minister pointed out that the World Bank’s new platform fits nicely with the objectives of the Government’s 2019 Water Policy which aims to achieve universal access to safe, reliable, and affordable water and adequate sanitation by 2030.

Under that policy, the administration says, through the principles of Integrated Water Resources Management, Jamaica will ensure its water resources are effectively managed to provide for the nation’s social, economic, and environmental well-being.

The policy further states that the Government will ensure the sustainable use of water resources and the preservation of ecosystems and the aquatic environment through the implementation of measures to restore and enhance the quality and quantity of usable water.

“This will include protecting aquifers, watersheds, and other sources of water from point source pollution (for example, factories, wastewater plants) and non-point sources (for example, agricultural run-offs),” the police declared.

Samuda is expected to provide additional information on policies to strengthen Jamaica’s water security when he makes his contribution to the sectoral debate in the House of Representatives this month.