in the provision of urban drainage; iv) and reducing harmful effects on the environment by better planning for drainage discharges. hydroelectricity dunn's river falls in ocho ríos. jamaica was one of the first countries in the world to install a hydroelectricity plant, its first being located just outside spanish town in the 1890s. currently there are nine hydroelectricity plants ranging from 0.2mw to 6mw with an overall generating capacity of 23 mw installed in jamaica. there is a potential for the installation of at least an additional 30 mw of hydroelectric capacity in jamaica. with the continued increase in global oil prices, hydroelectric power has become a priority for jamaica, and they are now more competitive in this arena. government strategies as of 2004 unmet demand for water was estimated at 220 million liters per day. estimates at the time projected that by 2010, the unmet demand for potable water would be 320 million liters per day, if no additional capacity is put in place. the government's strategy to satisfy this demand uses a combination of methods including new household taps, catchment tanks and the increased trucking of water. the strategy is to install piped systems where economically viable and with availability of financial resources. the specific strategies employed were: i) the development of a master plan for the supply of potable water. this plan proposes solutions, taking into consideration the projected demand and the status of existing systems, water resource availability and the socioeconomic profile of communities. securing of funds for the implementation of the master plan are through the government's budget, internally generated funds from the relevant agencies, multilateral donor/lender agencies, commercial lending sources, and private sector participation. legal and institutional framework the nwc is jamaica's national water commission and is the main provider of potable water in jamaica. private sector participation is encouraged to generate additional capacity through joint venture and also increase the number of licensed providers in new areas. in an effort to improve efficiency, certain aspects of nwc's operations are outsourced to the private sector. under the water supply and sewerage services act, a director of water is appointed within the ministry with responsibility to undertake macro-scale planning for water projects. legal framework the water resources act (1995) was declared as a new statute in the jamaican parliament in september 1995 and enacted into law on april 1, 1996. this marked a 25-year effort to address the deficiencies in legislation for the proper administration, development, and optimal use of the island's water resources. the act gives the water resources authority (wra) the responsibility for planning. a national water plan recommends projects and programs that should be taken in respect of the development, control, usage, and storage of water as well as its supply, distribution and disposal. the watersheds protection act (1963) is the law governing watersheds in jamaica and is administered by the natural resources conservation authority. the primary focus of the act is the conservation of water resources by protecting lands and riparian zones along the watersheds. the act is intended to ensure proper land use in vital watershed areas, reduce soil erosion, maintain optimum levels of groundwater, and promote regular flows in waterways. institutional framework nwc is jamaica's national water commission and is a statutory organisation charged with the responsibility of providing high quality potable water and wastewater services, maintaining the water infrastructure in good working conditions, and to protect the natural environment. provision for rural water is shared between the nwc and the parish councils. nic is jamaica's national irrigation commission and is an agency within the ministry of agriculture that was established in 1986. the nic is charged with developing irrigation systems and to provide efficient and effective irrigation services to the agricultural community. nic duties are to manage, operate, maintain and expand irrigation systems. nic also sets rates for irrigation water and collects these water use fees. wra is jamaica's water resources authority is responsible for the management, protection, and controlled allocation and use of jamaica's water resources. the wra maintains a hydrological database and provides data, information, and technical assistance to government and non-government institutions. nepa is the national environment and planning agency and works closely with the water resources authority (wra). nepa promotes sustainable development by ensuring protection of the environment and orderly development in jamaica. in draft format at this time, nepa is working to create a watershed management policy. multi-lateral assistance inter-american development bank has both recent and current projects that are focused on improving water resources in jamaica. for example, the water resources master plan completed in 2008 and the kingston metro water supply project completed in 2005. the later project assisted the government of jamaica (goj) in the process of structuring a program to improve water provision in the kingston metropolitan area by rehabilitating the water network and improving operational performance of the national water commission (nwc). most recently and still in implementation phases, the kingston metro water supply rehabilitation project follows the development strategy of jamaica in preserving the environment. it aims to clean the kingston harbor by developing a comprehensive strategy of institutional strengthening of environmental institutions, as well as the construction of water pollution control facilities. the jamaica coastal water quality improvement project (cwip) is a usaid-funded activity designed to protect and improve the environmental quality of the country's coastal water resources. the project relies on a community-based program to tackle the problem. in implementing the project, partnerships with national agencies, national and local ngos, community groups, and the private sector are formed. additional focus is put on developing integrated management approaches to address water quality issues in jamaica over the long-term. water users fees view of the blue mountain range looking into st. mary parish from st.andrew parish. customer type usage amount rates per 1000 l ($) residential for up to 14,000 liters $49.63 for the next 13,000 liters $87.51 for the next 14,000 liters $94.50 for the next 14,000 liters $120.61 for the next 36,000 liters $150.20 over 91,000 liters $193.35 commercial all quantities $186.13 condominium all quantities $92.32 primary school all quantities $74.47 source: jamaica national water commission: http://www.nwcjamaica.com/watersupplyrates.asp. 2009 potential climate change impacts for jamaica as a small developing island state, confronting the potential impacts of climate change is of critical importance. the impacts of a changing climate could have a potentially devastating effect. sea level rise will cause increased coastal flooding and erosion. the adverse effects of extreme weather events such as hurricanes could be compounded as well. changes in weather patterns will affect water supplies that will result in negative effects on agriculture. average annual mean warming of the caribbean sea is expected to be around 2 °c by the 2050s and 3 °c by the 2080s. fewer rainy days per year are predicted and will most likely lead to a higher probability of frequent droughts. conversely, an increase in the intensity of precipitation may increase the risk and associated challenges of flooding. no significant change in hurricane frequency is expected, but a possible increase of 10% to 20% in hurricane intensity may occur.