Mayor of Black River, Councillor Derrick Sangster, says the Municipality will be proactive in its approach to mitigate the effects of drought in the parish, as the country enters yet another dry period. Mr. Sangster, who was addressing Thursday’s (January 9) monthly meeting of the St. Elizabeth Municipal Corporation, in Black River, cited a recent report from the Meteorological Service...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is calling on citizens to help them in their drive to recognise high-performing sanitation workers. “We are asking citizens to give us their feedback on our service, because in 2020 one of the things that we will be doing is to recognise our sanitation workers more, based on performance. We know that some...

Coordinator for Disaster Preparedness in Westmoreland, Hilma Tate, says Community Disaster Plans are being prepared for several flood-prone areas in Savanna-la-Mar. She explained that the plans are being drafted out of a need to improve disaster risk management in the town, particularly at Hudson Street, Cooke Street and Llandilo. Ms. Tate told JIS News that the plans will outline the...

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, says that 35 houses will be delivered to indigent persons by the end of the financial year on March 31. “We are making a difference; we will continue to improve the infrastructure for those who are in need,” the Minister said, adding that the Poor Relief Department is being strengthened...

Residents of Savanna-la-Mar in Westmoreland are better prepared to respond to flooding and other natural disasters, following a flood-simulation exercise on January 7. The exercise was carried out across several sections of the town to include Hudson Street, Cooke Street and Llandilo. The initiative was organised by the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation and is a part of the Climate Change Adaptation...

Community Relations Officer at the National Works Agency (NWA) Western Office, Janel Ricketts, says the rehabilitation of the Somerton to Virgin Valley roadway in St. James is now complete. The 800-metre stretch of roadway was repaired at a cost of $21.8 million. Work commenced on the project on April 15 of last year. “As part of the project, we completed...

A Supervisor at the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), whose quick and decisive action calmed an incident involving a sanitation worker and a resident, was among two employees publicly recognised on Tuesday (January 7), for their exemplary action and presented with certificates of commendation. The supervisor, Dennis Williams, and sanitation worker, Earlston Ellis, were commended by Executive Director of...

To discourage flagrant violation of the National Solid Waste Management (NSWM) Act, the Enforcement and Compliance Unit of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA), conducted 166 surveillances across the island during the 2018/2019 fiscal year. In addition, the Unit issued 8,130 Removal Notices and 1,619 Fixed Penalty Anti-litter tickets to enforce the NSWM Act. This is contained in the...

The National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) is in the process of finalising three seminal Regulations to bolster its mandate as regulators of solid waste management. These are the National Solid Waste Management (Disposal of Solid Waste Facilities) Regulations; the National Solid Waste Management (Disposal of Hazardous Waste) (Electronic & Electrical) Regulations; and the National Solid Waste Management (Public Cleansing)...