Jamaica targets water security, climate resilience with multibillion-dollar programme

Jamaica’s Ministry of Water, Environment and Climate Change is moving ahead with a multibillion-dollar programme aimed at improving water access, strengthening environmental protection and preparing the country for worsening climate risks.

Water security is a central part of the plan. The Government is allocating more than $15 billion in the 2026/2027 fiscal year to expand potable water access across Jamaica. One major measure will build the Water Resources Authority’s capacity to identify early drought signals, track flood conditions and respond more quickly.

The WRA, working with the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, is introducing a long-range wide area network, or LoRaWAN, over a phased three-year rollout. The system will use hundreds of sensors and network gateways to collect live information on groundwater levels, river flows and rainfall, including in remote off-grid communities. The data will feed into central platforms equipped with advanced analytical tools.

The administration is also targeting non-revenue water, which includes water lost through leaks, illegal connections and operational failures before it reaches paying customers. Officials say the problem raises energy expenses, limits available supply and threatens the National Water Commission’s financial sustainability. A national reduction programme, valued at more than US$340 million, is to run over 11 years. Jamaica’s target is to cut non-revenue water to 30 per cent by 2035, with projected yearly gains of $10.7 billion, including $7.7 billion in extra revenue, $2.8 billion in electricity savings and $167 million in chemical savings.

Environmental measures include plans for a River Management Authority and a Keys Management Authority under the National Environment and Planning Agency. The river body is expected to focus on risk mapping, early warning, sediment and debris control and enforcement against encroachment. The keys authority would coordinate protection of sensitive ecosystems that also carry economic value.

In Negril, the Government is preparing canal works to restore wetland water levels and help stabilise the shoreline. Amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act are also expected this fiscal year, supporting Jamaica’s effort to ratify the Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife Protocol for coastal and marine biodiversity in the wider Caribbean.

Climate resilience is another priority following severe drought between 2020 and 2023 and damaging weather events, including Hurricane Berlin in July 2024 and Hurricane Melissa in October 2025. Climate change legislation is expected to be completed this fiscal year with support from the United Kingdom Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office. The framework is intended to improve accountability, policy delivery and access to international climate finance.

The work will be supported by Jamaica’s Long-Term Emissions and Climate Resilience Strategy, or LTS 2050, completed in July 2025. It sets a path to net zero emissions by or before 2050 and projects about $13.9 billion in net economic benefits and 26,000 jobs. Another initiative, the US$50 million Adapt Jamaica project, includes US$40 million in Green Climate Fund grants and is expected to benefit more than 700,000 Jamaicans, especially farmers and rural communities, through climate-smart technologies such as solar-powered irrigation and resilient greenhouses.