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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...

KINGSTON — A unit is to be established within the offices of Jamaica Promotions Corporation (JAMPRO), which will focus exclusively on the critical variables pertaining to Jamaica in the Global Competitiveness Report and the Doing Business Report. Minister of Industry Investment and Commerce, Hon. Dr. Christopher Tufton, said the move is an attempt to “improve on those variables because we...

KINGSTON — Minister of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, is urging Jamaicans to play their part in protecting the nation's forest cover. "Look at new ideas that we can undertake for effective and proper management of our forests. It is critical to the quality of the environment, and it is critical to economic development," he...

MONTEGO BAY — Over 500 households in Benin, Browns Town, St. Ann, now have piped water, courtesy of a project involving the town's Community Development Committee (CDC), the National Water Commission (NWC) and Member of Parliament for North West St. Ann, Hon Othneil Lawrence. The project, which came out of requests from the community, at a Social Development Commission (SDC)...

KINGSTON — Significant progress is being made on the Constant Spring Water Treatment Plant in Stony Hill, which is being refurbished under the Jamaica Water Supply Improvement Project (JWSIP) at a cost of US$10 million. The project, which is about 70 per cent complete, includes the construction of new basins and reagents, addition systems for pre-treatment, and refurbishing intakes such...

KINGSTON — Minister of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, Hon Dr. Horace Chang, is pleased with the introduction of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technology into schools, with approximately 146 teachers being trained to date. "I am excited that… educators are becoming more aware that GIS is an excellent learning tool, particularly in the teaching of geography in schools," the Minister...

KINGSTON — Residents of Auchindoun and surrounding communities in Westmoreland are slated to benefit from an income generating project in honey production being spearheaded by the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA). Executive Director of the NSWMA, Joan Gordon-Webley, told JIS News that the idea is to get residents involved in the production of honey to earn income for themselves...

KINGSTON — Minister of Housing, Environment Water, and Local Government, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, says the construction of sewer systems have to be more stringently monitored, due to their technical nature and the potential for environmental hazard. Dr. Chang was addressing residents at a public meeting at the Mona Heights community centre in Kingston on Wednesday (November 9). Scores of...

KINGSTON — Minister of Housing, Environment, Water and Local Government, Hon. Dr. Horace Chang, has assured residents of Mona Heights and surrounding areas that in the event of a severe drought, such as the one the country experienced last year, they will not experience extended periods of water lock-offs. He was addressing a public meeting at the Mona Heights community...