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Claudine Allen (left), general manager of the JN Foundation presents D’Ashley McLean (centre) with a token. Looking on is her mother, Shamane Stewart.

Shamane Stewart was an elated mother when she got the news that her daughter, D’Ashley McLean, was awarded a JN Foundation Primary Exit Profile (PEP) scholarship for the parish of St. Thomas and for her this was the answer to her prayers.

“It was my neighbour who sent me the link to the scholarship application via Whatsapp and under the link was the message ‘aunty, let D’Ashley try this, you will never know’. That was my neighbour’s words of encouragement,” she said, noting that she also has another child attending college who she had to provide for.

Ms Stewart, who is an entrepreneur, said it was not easy keeping her daughter online during the pandemic, but she ensured that D’Ashley was never absent from class and she would listen to the classes and assist her with some of the answers to the questions asked by the teacher.

“She was always an honour student from grade one, she would always come up in the top 10. She came in with the second highest score in her school,” she informed.

D’Ashley scored 99 per cent in her Ability Test, was highly proficient in Mathematics, and proficient in Language Arts. She was placed at Ardenne High School.

For D’Ashley, she is overjoyed to be the scholarship awardee for the parish of St. Thomas. She said the scholarship has assisted with some of the financial expenses in moving on to high school.

“I’m really happy about getting the scholarship because it will really help out my parents. Since the pandemic it has been financially hard for some persons who have been laid off from their jobs,” she pointed out.

D’Ashley is hoping to one day to become a psychologist so that she can assist persons who have emotional problems.

She shared that studying online was very challenging and that it was sometimes difficult to follow the teacher and that she prefers in person classes. She however noted that she worked hard and tried to keep focused.

“I had to go to my bed eight o’clock every night, the use of the phone was limited and on the weekends I would do my studies. But I also got time to interact with my friends,” she said.

Her words of encouragement to other students are to study hard, do assignments, review notes and remain focused. “Never give up and always push and fight for your goals,” she said.

Ms Stewart’s advice to other parents are: “Be in your child’s life. What they don’t understand and you can’t assist with, seek help. I can attest that I’m always involved and put aside money to purchase her books and school supplies, as difficult as things might be, and I would try to help her with her school work.”

The JN Foundation awarded 37 five-year scholarships to students who excelled in this year’s PEP exams. In addition to the PEP scholarship awards, 16 students at the tertiary level will receive financial assistance to pursue their studies. 

General Manager of the JN Foundation, Claudine Allen, has welcomed the gradually increasing numbers of Jamaicans choosing to be immunised against COVID-19, noting that it’s a sign that the national vaccination message is getting across.

According to the Ministry of Health and Wellness, more than 280,000 people or about 16.5 per cent of the adult population were fully immunised up to October 3, and more than 500,000 more had received at first dose of the vaccines.

“I believe people are beginning to understand that in order to recover as a country, we have to take the jab, and that this is, in fact, not new to us as a country. It has been an effective way of eradicating several deadly diseases, which once limited our development,” said Miss Allen.

The deadly respiratory disease has already killed nearly 1,900 Jamaicans since March last year, and infected more than 84,000.

Miss Allen noted that despite the gradually increasing numbers of immunised people, disinformation continues to be a concern for her organisation, which is embarking on a campaign to support the efforts to achieve full immunisation against COVID-19 among the majority of its more than 2,000 employees and Jamaicans all over the country. The campaign is set to commence officially this week.

Many Jamaicans remain hesitant about the vaccines, Ms Allen- who is also the JN Group member ombudsman- said, due mainly to organised disinformation locally and globally, which has distorted understanding of how the vaccines protect people.

Aptly called the Immunise…Save Lives, the multi-million dollar JN campaign, is in support of the national COVID-19 Vaccination Programme; and will arm people with information so they can make the best decision to protect themselves and their families, and place the country back on track to achieving its development goals.

“Our discussions with many Jamaicans demonstrated a gap in their understanding of this global COVID-19 vaccination drive and others rolled out in the past during what we knew then as immunisation exercises often at schools and community clinics,” she explained, adding “This has contributed to vaccine hesitancy. We are aiming to reduce the hesitancy by relating to people based on experiences which they have had.”

In pursuit of these objectives, JN will be engaging communities in conversations; establishing partnerships to establish various vaccination sites at several of its locations across the country; and implementing exciting incentives for its employees and members of the public who choose to protect themselves and others from the ravaging disease. 

The Immunise…Save Lives campaign will be centred on simplifying information for Jamaicans by using accessible language, visuals and personas. The Foundation will rely on a strategically designed mass education campaign that will engage members of the public and employees in several community discussions on the ground and on radio; online discussions, and other means, to provide information and develop understanding and trust.

Special groups such as the elderly, persons with special needs and transport operators will also be targeted for immunisation.

“We will be using all possible avenues including volunteers, community outlets, public transport and other means to reach people,” Ms Allen emphasised. “And we will be designing vaccine drives in a way so that they are accessible to various groups, even if we have to bring it to them.”

The JN Group network itself is being saturated with messages, as the Group intentionally seeks to influence its employees, who will play an important role in carrying the JN message.

“We are going to be hosting interesting sensitisation sessions with employees and also targeting specific groups to help to carry the message within the network and to the public,” Miss Allen disclosed.

The organisation will be dispensing some $1.5 million in total in rewards over the next three months to 200 people, who will be randomly selected each month from October to December to receive J$2,500 on a JN Money Card for getting immunised.

“The decision starts with you,” Ms Allen stressed. “We urge everyone to play their part by making the decision to protect themselves through immunisation.” 

Launches Comprehensive COVID-19 Immunisation Drive

The Jamaica National Group is gearing up to embark on a comprehensive drive to achieve full immunisation against COVID-19 among its more than 2,000 employees and Jamaicans all over the country. The deadly respiratory disease has already killed more than 1,800 Jamaicans since March last year, and infected more than 81,000.

Aptly called the Immunise…Save Lives campaign, the multi-million dollar drive is in support of the national COVID-19 Vaccination Programme; and will arm people with information so they can make the best decision to protect themselves and their families, and place the country back on track to achieving its development goals.

In pursuit of these objectives, JN will be engaging communities in conversations; establishing various vaccination sites at several of its locations across the country; and implementing exciting incentives for its employees and members who choose to protect themselves and others from the ravaging disease. 

“As an organisation, our purpose goes beyond an opportunity to save in a savings account and obtain financial and other services”, said Earl Jarrett, Chief Executive Officer of the JN Group.  “Our true purpose has always been to enrich lives and enhance outcomes, so that, together, as one people, we can always be confident that we can achieve any possibility.”

Although Jamaica now has a fair supply of three different brands of vaccines for distribution- Pfizer, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson- many Jamaicans remain hesitant about immunisation, due mainly to organised disinformation locally and globally, which has distorted understanding of how the vaccines protect people.

The Immunise…Save Lives campaign will be centred on simplifying information for Jamaicans by using accessible language, visuals and personas that will drive home the point. It will also seek to further expand physical access to the vaccines through partnership with the Ministry of Health and Wellness.

The project will be driven by the JN Group Member Ombudsman, Claudine Allen, who is also General Manager of the JN Foundation.

“The objective is to establish trust and understanding, and to achieve that, we will be relying on the personalities, situations and language that are familiar to people and that they can identify with,” she explained.

The Foundation will rely on a strategically designed mass education campaign that will engage members of the public and employees in several for a on the ground and on the airwaves; online discussions and other means, to provide information and develop understanding and trust.

There are also special groups that will be targeted for immunisation, such as the elderly, persons with special needs and transport operators.

“We will be using all possible avenues to reach people, including volunteers, community outlets, public transport and other means,” Ms Allen emphasised, “and we will be designing sites in a way so that they are accessible to various groups, even if we have to bring it to them.”

The JN Group network itself will be saturated with messages, as the Group intentionally seeks to influence its employees, who will play an important role in carrying the JN message.

“We are going to be hosting interesting sensitisation sessions with employees and also targeting specific groups to help to carry the message within the network and to the public,” Miss Allen disclosed.

The organisation will be dispensing some $1 million in rewards monthly over the next three months to 200 people, who will be randomly selected each month from October to December to receive J$5,000 on a JN Money Card for making the decision to get immunised.

“Saving lives isn’t as difficult as we think. It’s as simple as seeking and spreading facts about COVID-19; being serious about personal hygiene and washing our hands, or getting a little jab. You’ll be amazed at how small personal actions can save thousands,” Ms Allen concluded. “We urge everyone to play their part.” 

D’Ashley McLean (right), former student of White Horses Primary & Infant School and first form student at Ardenne High, accepts a token from Claudine Allen, General Manager of the JN Foundation.   D’Ashley, JN Scholar for St. Thomas, is one of 37 students awarded five-year scholarships by the JN Foundation in recognition of outstanding performance in this year’s Primary Exit Profile test.

Thirty-seven students who recently matriculated to high schools across the country have been awarded five-year scholarships in recognition of their outstanding performance in this year’s Primary Exit Profile (PEP). The recipients will be formally recognised as JN Scholars during a virtual scholarship reception to be held on Sunday, September 26.

The JN Foundation will award a student from each parish and county, while 20 of the awardees are children of employees of The Jamaica National Group.

This year’s scholarship award is in addition to approximately 100 JN Scholars, who are at various stages in their five-year scholarship, and who will have their awarded amounts renewed for the new school year.

JN Scholarship awardee for the parish of St. Elizabeth, Sydonia Nembhard, said she was overjoyed to be selected for this year’s award.

“I was proud and excited because my mom wouldn’t have to pay for all the expenses,” she related, adding that because she lives far from her new school, the transportation cost would be high.

Sydonia, an honour roll student and the top PEP student at Hopewell Preparatory School, achieved a placement score of 100 in Mental Ability this year and scored 90s in Language Arts and Mathematics, while still in grade four to secure a place at the Hampton School, an all-girl institution, also in St. Elizabeth, which was her school of first choice.

Claudine Allen, General Manager of the JN Foundation, the philanthropic arm of The Jamaica National Group, commended the awardees for their achievement despite the challenges they faced with online learning in a pandemic year.

She pointed out that the annual scholarship awards are part of several sustainable initiatives that are undertaken each year to help persons find a way.

“Our goal is to invest in and empower our children to achieve academic success.  In a few years from now, they will be making a contribution to the development of our country, and we want  them to have the opportunity to begin establishing their leadership skills from early by ensuring that they get a good foundation in their education.  At a time when many parents are having financial challenges in providing the necessities for their children’s education, it was important for us provide that needed support,” Ms Allen said.

Approximately 550 scholarship applications were received through the JN Foundation website for this year’s award.  As part of the eligibility for the scholarship, the students and their parents must be JN members, customer, or clients of The Jamaica National Group for at least a year. 

This year’s PEP Parish Scholarship Recipients are Dante Butler, Almonique Hutchinson, Lliana Lammie, Tehilia Richards, Joel-lee Knight, Damir Fairclough, Djimon Staines, Kyle Walker, Sydonia Nembhard, Xaria Binns, Diamond Lahoud, D’Ashley McLean, Rhaymone Stewart, and Jameilia Wright

The JN Bank Easi Save awardees are: Ayana Blake, Aaliyah Gordon, and Zane Thompson.

The JN Employees’ children recipients are Camron Betton, Jordanne’ Newell, Dejario Dickson, Adrielle Jones, Hannah Lyons, Danielle Sinclair, Myles Morgan, Deshawn Daley, Jaylon Wilson, Makiya Malabre, Ebony-Jade Austin, Amirah Ben-Mohammed, Nadera Binns, Dario Wynter, Nia Yong, Reuel Allen, Dejon Barrett, Celina Brightly, Joshane Wilson and Khloe’-Renee’ Dacres.

In addition to the PEP scholarship awards, 16 students at the tertiary level, attending The University of the West Indies, the University of Technology, Jamaica, the Northern Caribbean University, and the University College of the Commonwealth, will receive financial assistance to pursue their studies. 

The JN Foundation is inviting students attending tertiary institutions to apply for one-year scholarships, to attend universities and colleges in Jamaica.

The deadline for the submission of application is September 3. Prospective applicants are invited to access the application on the JN Foundation’s website at: https://www.jnfoundation.com/jn-scholarships/.

To be eligible for the scholarships, applicants must be: Jamaican; should have completed one year at one of the eligible institutions; and have a minimum Grade Point Average (GPA) of 3.0.

Applicants must also have a relationship with a JN Group company for at least one year, either as: a JN member or customer of JN Bank, JN General Insurance, JN Money Services or client of JN Fund Managers, JN Small Business Loans, JN Life Insurance; or a member of the Jamaica Automobile Association.

The scholarship is open to students at any of the following institutions: The University of the West Indies, The University of Technology, Northern Caribbean University, the Edna Manley School of the Visual and Performing Arts, The College of Agriculture, Science & Education, Caribbean Maritime Institute, the University of the Commonwealth Caribbean and teachers’ colleges.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation, said the scholarships provide the Jamaica National Group another opportunity to invest in the future of Jamaica.

“The scholarship recipients represent our nation’s future, because an educated population secures a brighter future for our country. It also provides our young people with the skills and self-confidence they need, to seek out economic opportunities,” she affirmed.

These tertiary scholarships are the most recent scholastic offerings by the JN Foundation, which will award students with five-year scholarships in September, in recognition of their outstanding performance in this year’s Primary Exit Profile, otherwise known as PEP.

JN Foundation Scholarship recipients from last year pose for a group photo.

The JN Foundation is now accepting scholarship applications for students who participated in the Primary Exit Profile (PEP) and will attend school at the secondary level.

Seventeen students will be awarded under the two types of scholarships on offer – the JN Foundation PEP Parish (14) and JN Bank Easi-Save County Scholarships (3).

The deadline for the submission of application is Wednesday, July 28, and prospective applicants are invited to access the application form on the JN Foundation’s website at www.jnfoundation.com/jn-scholarships/ .

To be eligible for the scholarship, applicants must have completed the 2021 Primary Exit Profile and should not be a recipient of a government scholarship.

Other requirements are that applicant or parent must have a relationship with a JN Group member company for at least one year – either as a member/customer/client of JN Bank, JN Fund Managers, JNGI, JN Life Insurance, JNSBL, JAA or JN Money Services.

Only the biological parent or legal guardian can apply on behalf of the child, if the child is without an active JN Bank account.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation, said that the education of future generations is important to the future of Jamaica and the JN Foundation is happy to offer an opportunity to students to further their education.

“The JN Foundation is giving these scholarships to improve the lives of individuals and consequently their families and communities- this is one way The Jamaica National Group through the Foundation supports the positive dreams of our members,” she said.

The JN Foundation PEP Scholarships will be awarded to one recipient from each parish, while the JN Bank Easi-Save County Scholarship will go to one child from each county.  Scholarships are also available to children of employees of The Jamaica National Group. 

Concurrently, more than 100 other students, who are at various stages in their five-year scholarship award, had their scholarship renewed for the new school year.

Parris Lyew-Ayee (left), chairman of the JN Foundation and Novelette Denton-Prince (right), acting managing director, HEART/NSTA Trust sign a Memorandum of Understanding for academic programme enrichment, where the institution will offer courses in rain water harvesting and grey water recycling, developed by the JN Foundation’s Water Project Jamaica. The MoU was signed on Wednesday, July 7 at the JN Financial Centre Board Room on Belmont Road in Kingston. Sharing in the moment are Claudine Allen (standing at left), general manager of the JN Foundation and Kenesha Campbell, deputy managing director at the HEART/NSTA Trust.

The JN Foundation has forged a partnership with the HEART/National Service Training Agency (NSTA) Trust, which will facilitate students enrolled in the institution’s construction and plumbing programmes to be trained in Rain Water Harvesting and Grey Water Recycling.

The partnership was formalized with the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the JN Foundation and the HEART/NSTA Trust on July 9 at the JN Financial Centre on Belmont Road in Kingston.

In signing the MoU, chairman of the JN Foundation, Parris A. Lyew-Ayee, Snr., said that the collaboration was a most welcome partnership for the JN Foundation.

“Like the HEART/NSTA Trust, the JN Foundation is also passionate about contributing to the developmental needs of Jamaica; and one of our focus areas is to improve environmental sustainability, and in particular addressing our water needs,” he said.

Mr. Lyew-Ayee noted that the JN Foundation believes that for Jamaica to be much more resilient to climate change, the subject of water management should also be institutionalised within its education system, and that is why this partnership is so important.

Novelette Denton-Prince, acting managing director, HEART/NSTA Trust, in welcoming the partnership, said the economic and social shock brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic, requires a collaborative and coordinated approach to overcome and rebound stronger.

“The agency has positioned itself to rise to the challenge and lend its corporate social responsibility efforts to being part of the solutions, to the issues brought about by this crisis,” she said.

She underscored that the JN Water Project is a much-needed project to address water management issues arising from climate change, which she said is a serious threat to sustainable development of Small Island Developing States, such as Jamaica.

“Having persons trained in these areas will improve their ability to apply their expertise and over time this will have positive benefits that will ultimately excite,” she said.

Claudine Allen, general manager of the JN Foundation said water adaptation and climate change are issues which the Foundation is passionate about, and she is happy that HEART/NSTA Trust was receptive to the collaboration.

“I’m excited about this partnership and how it will be manifested in the HEART environment; in classrooms; and being able to one day find a certified plumber, who can come into my home, to show me how I can save on water, based on what they learned from the course,” she said.

The MoU will also enable for research to be conducted, particularly in the areas of sustainable development, climate change, energy efficiency and related areas associated with water, housing, and land management. This would include drainage systems, natural storage of water; and irrigation techniques which would mitigate both drought and flooding problems.

This is the second MoU being signed by the project with an institution. Earlier this year, the JN Foundation signed a MoU with University of Technology, to train more persons in water adaptation, as one of the solutions to address the country’s drought challenges.

The JN Foundation Water Project is a joint collaboration with the JN Bank, the Climate Investment Funds (CIF), the Pilot Program for Climate Resilience (PPCR), the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and IDB Lab, to address water management issues related to climate change in Jamaica.

Rose Miller, grants manager at the JN Foundation and head of the JN BeWi$e Financial Empowerment Programme, says there is a growing need for more senior citizens to be exposed to financial education programmes so that they can better plan for old age.

She noted that this is important as research shows that growing older doesn’t mean getting wiser when it comes to making sound financial decisions.

Mrs Miller noted that two separate studies in the United States found that older people gradually, but steadily lose their ability to make sound financial decisions as they age.

The studies were conducted by the Texas Tech University and the Centre for Retirement Research at Boston College in 2015.

It was found that at a time when persons 60 years and older are responsible for managing their retirement assets and distributions, and making complicated decisions about their investments, insurance and pensions, many also face a decline in their mental performance.

According to the research, the ability to understand financial concepts and apply them properly peaks in the mid-50s and declines by one per cent per year after age 60.

Ironically, one study also found that confidence in financial decision making and investing ability remained constant or increased with age.

Mrs Miller noted that this was a cause for concern as declining aptitude and overconfidence is a bad combination and could spell trouble if seniors and their family members do not take precautionary measures, such as financial planning, and in some cases, hands-on assistance to avoid vulnerabilities and even abuse.

“A certain amount of cognitive decline is a normal process of aging, and while this decline will differ from person to person, acknowledging that your ability to make financial decisions, and generally manage your financial affairs, will decrease, is an important part of the retirement and financial planning process,” she advised.

The JN Foundation manager further said there is no need for senior citizens and their children to worry about their financial future in retirement if they have a sound and regularly reviewed financial plan.

“It is also critical that the person or persons responsible for the care and management of senior citizens be completely trustworthy to ensure they receive the full benefit of the provisions they have put in place for this season of their lives.”

Mrs Miller advised that older persons and their families will need to put a plan in place before it is too late.

Here are a few things to consider:

• The first step is to get help from a certified financial advisor. It’s important to find an advisor who is willing to put in the time and effort to make sure that you have a sensible retirement plan,” Mrs Miller said. Make sure to find an advisor who is willing to work with trusted family members and will facilitate the intergenerational aspect of family financial planning.
• Simplify your financial affairs by consolidating retirement plans that are scattered among financial providers. This will make it easier to track your investments. Also put your financial paperwork and data together, including passwords, and store them in a safe place where a trusted friend or family member has easy access in an emergency.
• It is also important for seniors to have that important discussion with their family to address their estate-planning needs before it becomes an issue. Think about who will take over managing your finances, pay bills, file tax returns, handle investments, insurance and make medical decisions on your behalf. “Most often this is a family member and getting them involved early in the process to finalise advance planning tools, such as powers of attorney, will/trust, beneficiary designations, healthcare power of attorney, as well as helping the parent with decisions will provide peace of mind for all, and create a plan that will not only survive the normal process of aging, but ensure that during this time the needs of the senior citizen is being well managed,” Mrs Miller recommended.

Rose Miller (left), grants manager, JN Foundation presents a laptop to Dayna Denton, winner in the 13 to 17 year-old age category of the National Child Month Committee’s (NCMC) ‘Pickney Party’ performing arts competition, to culminate the celebration of Child Month in May. The presentation was made during an event at the Institute of Jamaica in downtown Kingston on Friday, June 11. Dayna, a student at the Lister Mair/ Gilby High School for the Deaf, won for her entry of the speech ‘I SOAR,’ celebrating the theme for this year’s Child Month. She also received for her winning entry tokens from Sagicor, a Sangster’s gift voucher valued at $10,000, and a meal voucher from Burger King. The Pickney Party competition is in its second staging and received more than 50 entries from across the country this year. Nine entries were awarded first to third place in three age categories, ranging six to 17 years-old. The JN Group is a key partner of the NCMC.

Over the past three decades or more, the quote “If you build it, they will come,” an excerpt from the novel Shoeless Joe, popularised by the movie, ‘Field of Dreams’, starring Kevin Costner, has become an important springboard for planners, engineers and experts, exploring planning issues and concepts, when dissecting the impact of development on people and their environment.

At the recently concluded JN Foundation Water Summit, a coined version of the adage became a focal point for discussion by a panel of water sector experts, chaired by Dr Parris Lyew Ayee, managing director of the Mona GeoInfomatics Institute, which explored the question: ‘Build it and Water Will Come?: Water Availability and Urban Planning.’ There was unanimous disagreement.

“Where water is, is often where people reside, but if you check in our situation it is not necessarily so,” president of the state-owned National Water Commission (NWC), Mark Barnett, opened arguments, as he made the case for water and sewerage to be integrally accommodated in the planning process.

The majority of the country’s water supply is located to its north, yet the majority of its population and major development takes place on its southern belt. This is unlike other countries, Mr Barnett pointed out, where major cities and settlements tend to be built around large supplies of available fresh water.

Water threat for KSA, St Catherine

The practice to build far from water sources, is creating an ominous situation for some densely populated areas of Jamaica, managing director of the Water Resources Authority, Peter Clarke pointed out, as projected demand in the country’s two most populous areas- St Catherine and the Corporate Area, which comprises the parishes of Kingston and St Andrew- is outstripping the supply available from exploitable potential water resources.

The NWC supplies around 124,000 people in the Corporate Area alone, which is 98 per cent of the capital, producing some 45 imperial gallons of water per person daily to satisfy demand. In layman’s terms that’s about 54 gallons per person every day.

Adding Clarendon to St Catherine and the Corporate Area, Mr Clarke underscored that the development taking place in these parishes alone, accounted for 43 per cent of approved developments over the 10-year period 2011 to 2021.

“And at the same time regarding water balance and where water is, what we can see in this same southern belt is… the demand is outstripping the potential and this is an indication that we have to be careful when we decide to build, because we have to plan and we have to recognise that we do have challenges,” he argued.

He stressed: “I would say upfront that we don’t build it and hope that the water will come… It’s an integral part of the overall process in planning for the water, because water is the sustenance of the overall development.”   

Pointing to the expansion of towns, such as Mandeville and the Corporate Area, which he said had both outgrown what was planned for them in respect of water demand, Mr Clarke underscored that urbanisation inherently stresses water resources, by nature of their density, waste management practices, and use of land and, therefore, at the very core, prior to embarking on any development, how water will be supplied must be considered..

“When you’re considering expansion then it means that you’re going to have to consider the basics of how to keep people healthy; the basic thing that’s probably going to keep people alive- which is water,” he said.

With climate change added to the context, the water resources engineer said the demand and supply gap could be widened in the future. Showing a map of projections for water resources up to 2080, he emphasised that it’s not impossible for Jamaica to move from its current position of surplus to a deficit.

“And if we have water deficit, it means that we have to use alternative methods of producing our water,” he said.

Reusing waste water (grey water and treated effluent); capturing storm water runoff and desalinisation were other possible initiatives he pointed to that could help mitigate the depletion of resources, although these solutions are not full proof.

These were points endorsed by fellow panellist, Anthony McKenzie, director of the Environmental and Conservation Division at the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), who said there is a need to strengthen policies that encourage the reuse of treated wastewater.

“The wastewater and sewage regulations provide an incentive for the beneficial use of wastewater, so when we apply wastewater discharge fees, it is discounted significantly when there is a beneficial reuse of that,” he noted, pointing out that this is also included in the Water Sector Policy.

Non-revenue water-a critical challenge

Rainwater harvesting; artificially recharging aquifers (water-bearing rocks), and reducing energy consumption in the water sector, are other ways to mitigate resource depletion and to help reduce the cost to supply, Mr Clarke said.

“The NWC is the biggest client of the Jamaica Public Service, so if we can move more to solar and use photovoltaic systems and put more solar pumps in, we can help to manage that,” he posited.

The state of non-revenue water (water which is accessed, but not paid for by consumers, or wasted through leakages) also affects energy usage and the cost to supply the commodity, division chief of the Economic Infrastructure Division at the Caribbean Development Bank, O’Reilly Lewis said. And it’s not merely a Jamaica problem.

“Non-revenue water is unacceptably high in most of our Caribbean countries,” he said. “We are talking upwards of 50 per cent in many of our countries and that has a link to energy usage. In many of our countries the highest user is our water utility service provider and [the] operational efficiency of [the] service provider I think is something we need to focus on,” he said.   

Mr Barnett acknowledged that non-revenue water is the commission’s greatest challenge, accounting for up to 70 per cent of its supply, and costing the NWC some $6.7 billion annually. He said it needs to be tackled in order to improve efficiency and drive down the company’s energy costs. The NWC hopes to reduce non-revenue water down to 30 per cent by 2025.

“It is a no-brainer that to satisfy the build it and water [will come] arrangement, you have to make your network efficient all the time,” he said, highlighting that there is sufficient supply of water in Jamaica, but still stressing that planning is necessary to ensure sustainability.

Without the necessary planning, Lewis said countries like Jamaica will consistently be “behind the eight ball.”

“If you are not planning, you’re reacting. And when you’re reacting your behind,” he said.   

The JN Foundation Water Summit is targeted at ensuring housing developed by government and its agencies are climate resilient and fitted with necessary water conservation devices. It also calls for the ratification of the Draft Housing Policy in this regard to support climate resilient housing.

Persons can visit the JN Foundation YouTube page to watch the summit.