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Work on the National Water Commission's (NWC) sewerage extension project, in the vicinity of Mona, St. Andrew, is set to get underway in two weeks. The $54 million project, which falls under the NWC's Sewage Development Programme, will involve construction of a number of PVC sanitary sewers, manholes and side road laterals on a number of streets leading off Mona...

Several stakeholders from various agencies and departments participated in a National Simulation Exercise (NaSIMEX 2012) programme, on January 26, aimed at assessing the readiness of the education sector in the event of a major earthquake. The exercise was carried out within the context that a national emergency/crisis situation has been triggered by an earthquake of magnitude 7.1. It was done...

Harbour Heights, a community overlooking Harbour View in the hills of East Rural St Andrew, will be the first to benefit from a pilot landslide mitigation project, to be implemented by the Office of Disaster Management and Preparedness (ODPEM). Titled the Jamaica Landslide Risk Reduction Project, it is being financed by a US$2.37 million grant from the Japanese Social Development...

The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) will on Thursday (January 26) test the readiness of the education sector for a major earthquake, at a simulation exercise slated for the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston. Senior Director for preparedness and emergency operations at ODPEM, Horace Glades, said given the density of the education population it is important that...

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, says it is critically important to educate and involve all stakeholders on the importance of climate change, and to develop and implement various plans, programmes and projects to effectively address the issue. “It is our intention to focus on addressing this phenomenon, since it has the potential to severely...

The refurbishing of the Constant Spring Water Treatment Plant, Stony Hill, under the Jamaica Water Supply Improvement Project (JWSIP), is 95 per cent complete. The project, which is being undertaken at a cost of US$10 million, includes the construction of new basins and reagents, additional systems for pre-treatment and refurbishing intakes such as values, flow metres. It is expected to...

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, has informed that about 70 per cent of the island has piped water, and the aim is to bring the total up to 85 per cent. The Minister  said that many Jamaicans tend to  take water for granted, but  pointed out that  it costs  a lot of money  to...

Minister of Water, Land, Environment and Climate Change, Hon. Robert Pickersgill, says one of his main priorities will be to sensitise the country on the importance of climate change and the impact it has on the environment. Speaking during a tour of the Half-Way-Tree Road offices of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, yesterday, Mr. Pickersgill said it costs the country...

The St. Elizabeth Parish Council has moved to offer incentives to investors who want to set up businesses in the capital of Black River. After establishing a committee at the monthly meeting on January 12, chaired by Director of Planning at the Council, Rohan Blake, Mayor of Black River, Councillor Jeremy Palmer, told JIS News that the idea to robustly...

A documentary, 'Quake: Haiti in Jamaica',  which deals with the implications for Jamaica if an earthquake struck, similar to the one which impacted Haiti on January 12, 2010, was officially launched yesterday. The documentary, which was launched at the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), in Kingston, tells the story of what happened when the 7.0 magnitude earthquake...

Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL) has embarked on a comprehensive upgrading programme, to provide rural areas with a reliable water supply. The company, which falls under the Ministry of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, is involved in several projects, including the Comfort Hall, Copperwood and Richmond Hill project in St. James, which will benefit 2,700 residents and is funded...

A recently published study on the environment has found that over the last three years, there has been an increased focus on improving environmental management in Jamaica. The report suggests that this has been achieved through activities such as creating new standards, policies and regulations (and enforcing existing ones); increased environmental monitoring; and raising greater awareness among citizens and stakeholders....