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Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, has welcomed the island’s first Virtual Reference Station Network (VRS), gFIX.net, as a useful tool in mapping natural hazards. The Ministry’s Spatial Management Division handed over the system to the National Land Agency (NLA) at a launch event held at the Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, on Thursday, February...

The Ministry of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change has officially launched and commissioned its Virtual Reference Station (VRS) Network, gFIX.net, which is expected to revolutionise the surveying and construction sectors. This will effectively reduce production time, as well as the cost of cadastral surveying, portfolio Minister, Hon. Robert Pickersgill said. He was speaking at the launch and handing over...

Some 9,000 residents of 15 communities in Eastern Hanover are soon to benefit from more reliable supply of potable water. The Government of Jamaica, through the National Water Commission (NWC), is undertaking a $225 million project for the construction of the Cascade/Claremont/Jericho supply system, which will ensure ample supply to residents of the hilly districts, which are currently served by...

The National Water Commission (NWC) is reporting that the Yallahs pipeline in St. Thomas is back in full operation. The pipeline, which takes water from the Yallahs and Negro Rivers to the Mona dam,suffered severe damage during the passage of Hurricane Sandy last October, and has been undergoing extensive repair and reinforcement works since November. Most of the work on...

The Factories Corporation of Jamaica (FCJ) will be taking the necessary steps to ensure that the requirements stipulated by the National Environmental and Planning Agency (NEPA) for the scrap metal sites are put in place. This was disclosed by Minister of Industry, Investment and Commerce, Hon. Anthony Hylton, in a Statement to the House of Representatives, on Tuesday (January 29)....

Thousands are slated to be directly employed under the National Water Commission’s (NWC) K-Factor Programme. Some 5,000 persons are expected to work on the programme which will see the implementation of potable and waste water projects across the island. Speaking at the programme’s launch on Wednesday (January 23) at the Four Seasons Hotel in St. Andrew, Minister of Water, Land,...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will be ramping up efforts this year to keep the country clean and safeguard public health. Executive Director of the NSWMA, Jennifer Edwards, says that focus will be placed on waste reduction, through a series of public education messages to encourage members of the public to reuse, reduce and recycle. She tells JIS...

A Bill providing for the protection of Jamaica’s plant genetic resources was passed in the Senate on Friday (January 18). The Bill, the Protection of Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture Act, facilitates Jamaica’s compliance with its obligations under the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture. The Treaty was approved by the United Nations Food...

A four-day exploratory meeting aimed at examining idea concepts for Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) projects in Jamaica’s energy Sector that have a climate change mitigation potential, ended with stakeholders feeling empowered. This was disclosed by Dr. Oscar Coto, international consultant with the Nationally Appropriate Mitigation Action (NAMA) which falls under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change following...

It is projected that the start-up date for dredging of the Kingston Harbour will be the third quarter of 2013. This was disclosed by Leader of Government Business in the Senate and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, the Hon. A.J. Nicholson during the sitting of the Senate on Friday (January 18). The Minister was responding to questions posed...

Jamaica's vulnerability to earthquakes and tsunamis will take centre stage at a symposium to be held at the Terra Nova All Suite Hotel as part of Earthquake Awareness Week 2013 activities. The conference, which will be held on Thursday, January 24, will explore the country’s response and preparedness mechanisms. The event, which will be held as part of activities to...

Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Noel Arscott, says Jamaica needs to entrench a culture of recycling and reuse of its solid waste in a bid to preserve the environment. “We generate 1,200 tonnes of waste per day in the Corporate Area alone. Of this, 40 per cent of it is recyclable, which presents a tremendous business opportunity,” the...