Use water efficiently!

JN Water Project urges developers to implement water adaptation devices in housing projects

explained.

The JN Water Project is the first project of its kind to be implemented in the Caribbean and globally by the IDB.

Robert Stephens, demandstudy consultant for the Water Project, while speaking at the Jamaica Developers Association meeting, added: “The IDB, through the Water Project, is looking at Jamaica to essentially set the pace for the rest of the Caribbean and the rest of the world through this project. It has the potential to be upscaled in terms of its applications, not only for housing, but in other areas, given changes in the marketplace. Therefore, it is important to begin to educate developers and homeowners about the importance of saving water.

“Climate change is affecting us severely. The fact is that we need to increase the water resiliency in our housing developments and ensure that we use water efficiently, because the next possibility for war in the world could be about water,” he said.

CLIMATE CHANGE

Both Cameron and Stephens stressed the fact that climate change has become more aggressive, pointing to longer droughts, heavier rainfall, and an increase in the number of natural phenomena such as hurricanes.

In March 2017, the IDB and The Jamaica National Group signed two cooperative agreements to provide JN Bank and the JN Foundation with funding to execute a four-year project called ‘Financing Water Adaptation in Jamaica’s New Urban Housing’.

This project seeks to enhance the country’s climate resilience through the use of wateradaptation technology in the housing sector. The objectives are to facilitate the uptake of wateradaptation measures in housing across Jamaica, including the use of rainwater harvesting systems, water-efficient taps and showers, low-flush toilets, efficient irrigation systems, grey-water recycling facilities, and other relevant efficiency measures.