Managing Director of the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF), Omar Sweeney, says $260 million has been allocated for the removal of zinc fences in communities throughout sections of the island. The project, which falls under the Integrated Community Development Project and is funded jointly by the Government and the World Bank, aims to provide a general framework for integrating the...

The Jamaica Fire Brigade (JFB) now has two command units, which will boost its capacity to respond to emergencies. The vehicles, which are valued at more than US$407,000, were donated by the Government of Japan under its Non-Project Grant Aid for the Provision of Industrial Products. Designed to operate as mobile offices, each unit can accommodate six persons and boasts...

With the 2017 Atlantic hurricane season now underway, the ministries and agencies of government responsible for welfare assistance, clearing of roads, and disaster preparedness, are reporting that they are ready for any eventualities. Chief Technical Director in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security, Dionne Jennings, says the Ministry is prepared to respond if Jamaica is affected by a storm...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has launched an investigation into occurrences at its disposal sites. The NSWMA says fires have been lit at five disposal sites over the past two months. The public cleansing agency says it clearly suggests arson. “We are extremely concerned that unscrupulous persons, whether coordinated on their own could be sabotaging our efforts at...

Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, says the Government is to streamline its waste-management system by December this year. “I’m hoping that before the year is out, we will start on a programme of having a total transformation on how we collect and manage waste in Jamaica,” he said. The Prime Minister was speaking at the LASCO Releaf Environmental...

Director General of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), Major Clive Davis, is assuring citizens that the agency is always in a high state of readiness to respond to disasters. “The ODPEM is ready to face all adversities,” he said. “We have a mandate to keep the nation in a perpetual state of readiness. This is a...

Debate on the Building Bill, which seeks to establish a modern legislative framework that will serve to reduce the vulnerability of Jamaica’s built environment and ensure public safety, began in the House of Representatives yesterday (June 6). In his remarks, Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who piloted the Bill, said it not only creates and...