#Clarendon Parish Development Committee

[wetlandsday]

JAMAICA - Open Day Mason River (National Focal Point).

The Institute of Jamaica Natural History Museum will host students and community members at the Open Day at Jamaica's only terrestrial RAMSAR site. Will feature Nature Trail tours, exhibitors booth displays, fun zone for the wetland themed-play, farmers market (wellness) and other prizes and surprizes. Open to neighboring communities primarily and pre-registered schools.

Country : Jamaica

Organizer : Natural History Museum of Jamaica-Institute of Jamaica and National Environment and Planning Agency

Partners : National Environment and Planning Agency(NEPA), Caribbean Coastal Area Management (CCAM), Forestry Department, Urban Department Corporation(UDC) , Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ), JCB, Clarendon Parish Development Committee, Jamaica Conservation Partner

[goodnewsjamaica]

Newly opened water shop brings relief to Marlie Hill, environs

New Post has been published on https://goodnewsjamaica.com/news/newly-opened-water-shop-brings-relief-to-marlie-hill-environs/

Newly opened water shop brings relief to Marlie Hill, environs

Sisters Monica (pink dress) and Sonia Beckford, who signed a lease agreement for their family land to be used for the water shop, standing to be recognised at the function. (Photos: Gregory Bennett)

After years of water being a scarce commodity which residents of Marlie Hill and its environs had to purchase for domestic usage, there was a collective sigh of relief last Monday as a water shop was officially opened in the community.

The water shop is essentially black plastic water tanks in an enclosed and central area of the southern Manchester community, with an office on the property to monitor access.

The project is a collaborative effort involving the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, the Manchester Municipal Corporation, and the Rural Water Supply Company.

“It is eight two-thousand gallons [black tanks] so they [residents] will have 16,000 gallons of water on a daily basis,” mayor of Mandeville and chairman of the Manchester Municipal Corporation Donovan Mitchell told the Jamaica Observer Central.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development Desmond McKenzie said that it came at a cost of $8 million.

He told the residents that while the water shop is not the answer for the longstanding water problems in southern Manchester, it is a response to a need and they will not have to pay for the service, which he expects to be consistent.

Marlie Hill resident Tony Langley

“It is your tax dollar that has built this facility, so if the truth be told, you have already paid for it because it is your property tax money; there is no charge. The only cost you will have to pay is the cost to ensure that you protect this. This facility is not just a couple of tanks ‘puddung’. The water will be treated. This facility will never run dry, will never run dry,” he said.

McKenzie added: “We are not saying that the water shop is the end of your problems. We not saying that this is the answer. We are saying there is a need and we are responding to that need. If we had several of this perhaps the cry would be not as loud as it has been across many sections of the country.”

He said that the Manchester mayor and the chief executive officer at the municipal corporation should ensure that the tanks are never dry.

Mitchell told the press that water haulage contractors will ensure that the water supply is consistent, and a metering system will keep track of water levels.

The water shop in Marlie Hill is the second installed under the project. The first was opened in Pennants, northern Clarendon, late last year.

McKenzie said that the next one for Manchester will be in the Bellefield Division.

Chairman of the Manchester Parish Development Committee, Anthony Freckleton

“Access to water is fundamental to proper standards of public health. It is also a critical player to national development. This administration is working very hard to bring (drinking) water to almost every community across this country that requires this basic necessity. The initiative of building water shops is different from anything else that has been done before, especially at the level of local government,” he said.

The minister said that the southern parishes in Jamaica, especially Manchester and St Elizabeth, have traditionally suffered from severe drought conditions.

“You have agricultural drought, you have drought of all shape and form, but is one result the drought bring — hardship to household, hardship to farmers,” he told the gathering.

Resident Tony Langley said that the water shop will help because in order to get water for his household, he has to purchase it as often as needed.

Councillor Iceval Brown (Jamaica Labour Party- Grove Town Division), said about 300 residents will benefit and that the water shop is safer, because sometimes the purchase that is made is untreated water.

Local Government Minister Desmond McKenzie treats Sonia Beckford, one of the owners of the site of the water shop which will ensure availability of water for domestic use, to a cup of the precious commodity while councillor (JLP- Grove Town Divsion) Iceval Brown looks on with joy. (Photo: Gregory Bennett)

The challenge with water in Manchester has long been a concern for stakeholders — not just householders and farmers but also those with an interest in commercial investments.

Chairman of the Manchester Parish Development Committee, Anthony Freckleton said that less than 50 per cent of the population in the parish has piped water coming to their premises.

Chief executive officer at the Manchester Municipal Corporation, Winston Palmer told Observer Central that the water facility in Marlie Hill is being operated through a 10-year lease agreement between the Government and private land owners.

By: Alicia Sutherland

Original Article Found Here

[drthehonpeterphillips-blog]

PNP urges a United National approach to flood crisis

Over the past few days, intense rains have resulted in flooding across many communities islandwide. This has brought extensive damage to homes, small businesses and the physical infrastructure of the country. It has dislocated students and has also resulted in widespread damage to agriculture. We are indeed thankful that there have been no reports of loss of life, but we are aware that there is great suffering and distress amongst Jamaicans. As such, we have asked all our elected representatives and caretakers to provide support where possible as people and communities seek to recover and re-build. These recent rains, plus the intense rains that impacted Clarendon a few weeks ago, reveal that there is a fundamental problem with the national drainage system that needs to be addressed. On the face of it, it is clear that the national drainage system is being overwhelmed and that much of this is due to the fact that it has not kept pace with the extensive physical development around the country, and ensuring alignment with the National Development Strategy with respect to drainage and mitigation of potential flooding. The problem has been exacerbated in recent times by the very untidy and often partisan approach to the utilization of the limited funds available to address the necessary drain clearing as part of the mitigation efforts. This is most clearly seen in Clarendon where the worst flooding has happened despite more than $100m being expended in the Parish on drain clearing and de-bushing. What is of even more concern to the PNP is that all this flooding with its resulting extensive damage is occurring before the start of the Hurricane Season. It shows that Jamaica is woefully unprepared for what is likely to come. This is of particular concern given the long-term changes in weather patterns due to climate change globally. It is against this background that the People’s National Party (PNP) stands ready to cooperate with the government in the design and implementation of all initiatives and programmes which genuinely seek to relieve the widespread suffering and devastation experienced in communities, islandwide. As such we, the People's National Party, are calling for: Urgent and immediate implementation of an islandwide disaster mitigation program which would be monitored by a national oversight committee to ensure non-partisanship in its implementation. The Committee should be comprised of members of both political parties and civil society, with potential membership drawn from Jamaica Institute of Engineers, Master Builders Association For such a programme, we recommend the establishment of an Office of National Reconstruction (similar to the response of the Government in 2004) to oversee the rehabilitation of infrastructure damaged in the recent rains, and of course staffed on a non-partisan basis. We support the call for the review and re-design of a national drainage system for the country. This is something that all Jamaicans would benefit from. At this time, when the people in the affected communities are experiencing unprecedented levels of suffering, we urge the government to place the national interest above partisan politics. We will resolutely oppose any repetition of the November drain-cleaning programme, which was implemented in a manner that opened the door to corruption and the misuse of public funds. This time, we are going to insist on transparency and accountability.