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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....

KINGSTON — Approximately 10,000 residents of Kitson Town, St. Catherine, and its environs, are to benefit from Segment I of the newly commissioned Kitson Town Water Supply System. Costing over US$5 million, under the multi-million dollar Jamaica Water Sector Improvement Project (JWSIP), the system was commissioned into service by Minister of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, Dr. Horace Chang,...

KINGSTON — Minister of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says Jamaica has made substantial improvements in environmental management, but many challenges still remain, which must be addressed, particularly as the country strives to achieve continued economic growth. Among the country’s main challenges, Dr. Chang said, is the need to adjust to the impacts of climate...

A contract valued at US$115 million was signed on December 15, 2011 between the National Water Commission (NWC) and the Bank of Nova Scotia for funding of the second phase of the Jamaica Water Supply Improvement Project (JWSIP). The contract was signed at the Ministry of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, in New Kingston. In his remarks, Minister of...

KINGSTON — The Ministry of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, is considering merging the Environmental Foundation of Jamaica (EFJ) and the Forest Conservation Fund, to ensure the effective operation of the EFJ when funding ends next year. "By September next year, the final payments for the EFJ would have been made under the PL 480 debt swap agreement (with...

Delegates from over 40 western hemispheric nations, and international partner organisations, are currently in Kingston attending the 5th Pan American Regional Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Wetlands (RAMSAR), being held between December 6 and 10 at the Jamaica Pegasus Hotel, New Kingston. Organised by the Ministry of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, through the...

KINGSTON — The Forestry Department, now an executive agency under the Ministry of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, wants Jamaicans to appreciate forests as areas for sustainable development and preservation of human wellbeing. The Department has the mandate to protect and manage the country's forest reserves for the benefit of all Jamaicans. And it seeks, through different fora and...

KINGSTON — Protecting Jamaica's public and environmental health, while supporting economic development, is the aim of the National Water Commission (NWC), as they strive to restore, upgrade and construct quality sewage treatment facilities across Jamaica. Director of Communications at the NWC, Charles Buchannan, says that over 44 sewage treatment facilities have been identified for rehabilitation and reconstruction, under a sewage...