FIVE COMMUNITIES in the Upper Rio Minho Watershed (URMW) of Clarendon will be better able to adapt to climate change while increasing their earning capacity, with the recent launch of five innovative aquaponics systems.

The communities of Aenon Town, Ritchies, Alston, Johns Hall and James Hill, with a combined population of over 10, 333 persons, will see their new aquaponics systems operated by their Community Development Committees.

The systems were provided by the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism (AP&FM) project of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR) through INMED Partnerships for Children and their innovative INMED Aquaponics programme.

“It is an exciting time for the project, as these systems will greatly boost agricultural production in the communities. It will reduce their dependence on the changing weather patterns in order to produce because drought, for example, will not cripple the farmers as it used to,” explained Dr Winsome Townsend, project manager for the AP&FM.

AQUAPONICS

Aquaponics is an innovative farming technique that combines aquaculture (fish farming) with hydroponics (soil-less crop production) into a closed system that is resilient to destructive climate change events.

It is a method that boosts crop production up to 10 times higher than traditionally cultivated plots of equivalent size. It uses 85-90% less water and uses no chemical fertilisers or pesticides. Its low energy consumption provides year-round crop production and uses much less labour than traditional farming, making it accessible to individuals with disabilities, beneficial for female-led households and attractive to youth.

“INMED Partnerships for Children and INMED Caribbean are proud to be working with these exceptional communities in the crucial watershed area of Clarendon, and are committed to provide crucial training and mentoring to help them be successful in achieving food and economic security and building climate resiliency,” noted Dr Linda Pfeiffer, INMED’s president.

The aquaponics systems are a part of the activities undertaken under the AP&FM to help to reduce Jamaica’s vulnerability to climate change. The island has been experiencing impacts, such as stronger hurricanes, severe flooding, prolonged droughts and sea level rise. Between 2001 and 2012, Jamaica experienced 11 storm events, including five major hurricanes and several flood events amounting to about J$128.54 billion in loss and damage.

COMMENDATIONS

“We commend these communities for their proactivity and recognising the importance of building resilience to climate change. They have led the charge for implementing the commissioning of these systems which will boost their agricultural outputs critical to ensuring food security especially in periods of drought,” said Therese Turner-Jones, general manager for the Caribbean Country Department of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

The Government of Jamaica, the IDB and the World Bank developed the island’s PPCR to help the country to strengthen its climate resilience through enhancing adaptive capacity across priority sectors. PPCR has five projects being implemented to address varying areas of vulnerability. The AP&FM is the largest of the five PPCR projects in Jamaica.

“This project is one that the community has really embraced. I can see based on what they tell me that they have bought into it,” said Morene Marshall, president of the Ritchies Community Development Committee.

“I think the project will provide employment for some persons. It can also bring about togetherness as well as we have representatives from all the different churches in the area working together on it,” she added.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), Hon. Daryl Vaz yesterday (February 13) led a multi-agency meeting with the management of the JISCO/Alpart Bauxite Plant in St Elizabeth to address the impact of the dust emanating from the residue disposal area (mud lake) at Nain.

Minister Vaz attended the meeting on the invitation of Member of Parliament (MP) for South East St Elizabeth Franklin Witter.  The meeting also included a number of representatives from the Ministries, Department and Agencies (MDA’s).

The communities affected by the accompanying environmental and human health challenges from the mud lake include: Myersville, Buena Vista, North Hampton, Lower Warminster, Upper Warminster, Austin, Folly, among others.

It was highlighted during the meeting that the dust problem became more pronounced since December 2019 for a number of reasons. 

These include:-

• The commencement of the dry season and lack of rainfall
• JISCO’s inability to quickly build out the dust containment measures such as wetting, irrigation, dust suppression and
• The stockpile of raw material being identified as a source of dust, which the Plant has been instructed to address in short order.

At the end of the meeting it was agreed that residents from the communities are to be compensated starting today (February 14, 2019), with the remaining compensation packages to be issued at the end of the month.

JISCO/Alpart was instructed to increase the number of personnel such as doctors, legal staff and community relations officers,  to address shortcomings in areas of health, land settlement, relocation, legacy issues and community relations with the residents.

The plant was also mandated to comply with a cessation order which was served by National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) under the NRCA Air Quality Regulations(2010),  in January 2019.  The order was specific on the actions JISCO were to implement,  to mitigate the dust problem.

The management of the plant was also instructed to speedily build out the dust suppression measures within the time mandated by NEPA, while Government regulatory agencies were instructed to continue monitoring and enforcement interventions to ensure full compliance by the company.

Minister Vaz gave the assurance that he would personally monitor the situation, and would work with Minister of Transport and Mining, Hon. Robert Montegue, to deal with the issues.

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Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Hon. Daryl Vaz, has given the assurance that there will be no further changes of land use for the Greater Bernard Lodge Area.

L-R.  Hon. Daryl Vaz, Minister Without Portfolio, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation; Ms. Naomi Francis, Press Secretary Office of the Prime Minister; Hon. Floyd Green, Minister of State, Ministry of Industry Commerce Agriculture and Fisheries

Speaking this morning (February 14, 2020,) during a press conference at Jamaica house, on the Greater Bernard Lodge Development Master Plan, Minister Vaz noted that this directive had been issued by the Ministry of Agriculture’s Land Management Unit.

Minister Vaz said the Original Master Plan was 3948 acres of land with 1717 acres or 43% being agricultural and 2231 acres or 57% being non-agricultural. However, he emphasized that the revised Master Plan has 5,384.48 acres.

“It is critical that I emphasize that 56% of the 5,384.48 acres will be devoted to agricultural use, 28% for residential use and the remaining 16% for utilities, open spaces and commercial use. We have therefore increased the agricultural allocation from 43% to 56% in the revised Master Plan.  That, coupled with the expansion of agricultural lands and agro-investments to come, ill secure and expand food security and production contrary to misinformation being communicated”, Minister Vaz noted.

According to the Minister, the Greater Bernard Lodge Development Master Plan will seek to primarily address several housing, agricultural and infrastructural issues within the project area simultaneously.

This includes accommodating future population growth for the Kingston Metropolitan Region created by the National Environment & Planning Agency (NEPA)  in collaboration with several key stakeholders from both the private and public sectors.

The Minister further noted that it also includes creating and maintaining a vibrant, sustainable community and protecting its character and longevity while tackling the challenges of affordable housing, transportation, access to jobs and services.

He added that the Plan is consistent with the growth, employment and poverty reduction strategy of the Government.

Minister Vaz noted that the Development will affect approximately 106 lessees and 55 informal settlers who occupy a total of 1782.365 acres, but noted that all affected persons will be compensated and/or relocated.

“The compensation and relocation of these persons have already commenced with many already re-integrated and farming.  In negotiations, relating to the relocation of persons, strict instructions were given that no one was to be forcibly removed”, the Minister said,

He stated that the Development will also improve several areas of Infrastructure including the provision of potable water, sewerage, waste management, and drainage, road rehabilitation in the Greater Portmore Area, aquifer protection and regularization of agricultural lots.

“The Master Plan will not take away from existing communities but will enhance the infrastructural legacy deficit which exists through development which is a part of the remit of the Master Plan”, Minister Vaz said.

Cabinet approved the revised Development Master Plan in January 2020. An Enterprise team was assembled to give oversight to the implementation of the Master Plan as approved by the Cabinet. 

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A SERIES of six islandwide consultations have been held on Jamaica’s Draft National Spatial Plan (NSP) and key stakeholders have been providing input on the draft document over the past six weeks.

The plan – which mainstreams climate change – is scheduled for finalisation next month.

The consultations, which started in early January, have been organised by the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism (AP&FM) for the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience.

They have been targeting key stakeholders at the local government level, including the municipal council of all the parishes. The consultation were scheduled as follows:

– Wednesday, January 15 – the Spanish Court Hotel in Kingston, which included participants from the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation, the Portmore Municipal Corporation and St Catherine;

– Friday, January 17 – the Knutsford Court hotel in Kingston, which included participants from Portland, St Thomas and St Mary;

– Tuesday, January 21 – Villa Sonate in St Ann, which included participants from St Ann and Trelawny;

– Friday, January 24 – Knutsford Court Hotel in Kingston, which included participants from Clarendon and St Elizabeth;

Tuesday, January 28 – Oasis Hotel in Negril, including participants from Westmoreland, Hanover and Trelawny; and

Friday, January 31 – Deja Hotel in St James, including participants from St James and Manchester.

“The input that has been provided by the stakeholders so far has been very valuable. We will include as much of the feedback as possible into the final draft. It is good that some of the municipal corporations have begun to think about how they will help implement the National Spatial Plan and how it will relate to their Parish Development Plans,” said Dr Winsome Townsend, project manager for the AP&FM Project, which focuses on integrating climate change issues into development planning.

AP&FM also provides funds for climate change adaptation work in small and medium businesses, as well as communities. The AP&FM project is being implemented by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation through funding from the Inter-American Development Bank.

CONTENTS OF THE DRAFT

The draft NSP is an eight-chapter document compiled from research and consultations that started in April 2018. The most recent draft of the document covers:

1. Introduction

2. The Planning Context

3. Legislative and Institutional Framework

4. Settlements – Rural and Urban Development

5. Public Utilities Infrastructure

6. Social Amenities Infrastructure

7. Major Economic Sectors – Industries

8. National Spatial Planning Policies and Strategies.

The consultations included the National Environment and Planning Agency, the Rural Agricultural Development Authority, the Housing Association of Jamaica, the Urban Development Corporation, as well as other entities.

Spatial planning refers to the various approaches used by the government and non-government stakeholders to influence the distribution of people and activities in spaces of various scale. An NSP is important to the sustainable development of and use of a country’s resources.

Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation Daryl Vaz, is to lead a multi-agency tour of the communities in St. Elizabeth that are affected by the dust coming from the dry Jiquan Iron and Steel Company (JISCO) Mud Lake at Myersville in the parish.

The tour which will take place next Thursday, February 13, 2020, is also aimed at addressing other environmental issues that the residents may be experiencing as well as land matters

The tour will include representatives of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), the Member of Parliament for South East St. Elizabeth Frank Witter, Councillors and members of the community organizations as well as JISCO representatives.

Minister Vaz who has responsibility for land, investment, climate change and the environment, said he has taken note of the health and environmental concerns of the residents of Nain and surrounding communities.

The Minister said based on a previous meeting, and in light of the seriousness of the situation, new protocols will have to be established to deal with the dust challenge from the red mud lake.

JISCO/ALPART closed down its production operations on September 27, 2019, for refurbishing which is expected to last two years.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC) Senator Pearnel Charles Jr. says water regulation is necessary because the commodity is not enough.

Minister Charles said the forecast, by the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, is for below-normal rainfall and severe drying which will affect the storage levels at the dams and catchment tanks. This means the National Water Commission (NWC) will have less distributive capacity.

He emphasized that “If we don’t get enough, we won’t have enough to give, therefore in order to maintain a particular standard, regulations are put in place”.

He was speaking at a Press Conference convened by the MEGJC at Jamaica House yesterday (Thursday, February 6, 2020).

“This means that persons will have less access to water at times based on the regulations, but more importantly the regulations will allow the NWC to reduce the loss of water from the distribution network due to leaks”, he said.

Government outlines strategies for Drought Management

In outlining the drought mitigation efforts Minister Charles says the immediate and short term plans by the Ministry and its water agencies include:

• The procurement of 14 additional water trucks to assist in the distribution of water to the hardest-hit areas,
• Revised operational procedures for payment to truckers,
• Distribution of black storage tanks,
• Upgrade of major pipeline infrastructure in the Corporate Area,
• Continued work on the NWC’s non-revenue water programme,
• Renovation of Catchment tanks by the Rural Water Supply Limited,
• Retrofitting several schools with rainwater harvesting systems, and;
• Increased regulation.

In the meantime, Head of the Meteorological Service of Jamaica, Evan Thompson, explained that as at December 31, 2019, several parishes were experiencing drought conditions while several others have reported drier than normal conditions.

In noting that the country entered 2020 with a deficit, Mr Thompson explained that December 2019 experienced closer to normal conditions… “But normal does not make up for a deficit before and we would need above normal to make up for a deficit”.

While noting that the Branch is in the process of collecting and analysing data for the month of January, Mr Thompson indicated that “January did not produce any excess of rainfall across the country so it’s unlikely that we’ll see any reversal of what we have seen going into December 2019”.

For his part, Senator Aubyn Hill, Chairman of the Board of Commissioners said that the NWC is being proactive with the management of the country’s water resources adding that to this end the entity has taken several steps to ensure that customers will have water throughout the dry period.

“Help us conserve; help us reuse if you can; and help us recycle when you can. It is all of us who are responsible”, Senator Hill implored.

He said the entity has been continuously monitoring the Hermitage Dam and the Mona Reservoir which have been declining, which is not unusual at this time of the year.

Minister without portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), Senator Pearnel Charles Jr. this morning (Thursday, February 6) announced a multi-sectoral approach to deal with drought management.

Minister Charles says the Ministry has activated the Drought Management Committee “to manage in a proactive way the execution of the drought management plan…the plan that we have to manage the drought is a multi-sectoral approach to sustainable drought management.”

The Drought Management Committee includes the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC), the National Water Commission (NWC), Water Resources Authority (WRA), Rural Water Supply Limited (RWSL), as well as the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), Ministry of Health (MOH), Ministry of Local Government and Community Development (MLGCD), Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), the Rural Agricultural Development Authority (RADA) and other key private sector stakeholders.

Minister Charles Jr. further noted that “the drought management plan was extracted from the National Water Sector Policy and that the Committee is a sub-committee of the Integrated Water Resources Management Council (IWRMC)”.

The Drought Management Plan is also a sub plan of the national disaster plan being developed by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) which is also the chair of the Drought Management Committee. Minister Charles Jr. was speaking at a Drought Management Press Conference at Jamaica House, convened by the MEGJC.

ROUGHLY 490 of 1,800 micro-check dams have been constructed in the Upper Rio Minho Watershed Area (URMW) of Clarendon to reduce flooding and build climate resilience in the area.

The micro check dams – used to reduce water flow and by extension reduce erosion – fall under initiatives being done by the Adaptation Programme and Financing Mechanism (AP&FM) of the Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience (PPCR).

More than 15 communities in the URMW have been identified as vulnerable to climate change impacts, such as flooding and hazards, including soil erosion and land slippage.

The AP&FM recently completed climate change and disaster risk reduction plans for the communities of Morgan’s Forest, Rock River, Kellits, Summerfield, Thompson Town, James Hill, Crooked River, Chapelton, Coxswain, Trout Hall, Pennants, Moores, Ritchies, Brandon Hill and Cumberland.

“The URMW is very important to Jamaica’s rainwater harvesting and we want to ensure that it is restored. That will ensure our water security,” said Winsome Townsend, project manager of the AP&FM.

The check dam initiative is part of several other activities aimed at restoring the watershed. These include:

– the installation of 250 communal rainwater harvesting systems and rehabilitation of three rain ponds;

– the installation of 5 aquaponics systems in 5 communities;

– the reforestation of 15 hectares of land; and

– 50 hectares of Agro-Forestry.

The AP&FM is a part of Jamaica’s Pilot Programme for Climate Resilience. It works to help Jamaica adjust more easily to climate change. It supports the integration of climate change issues into development planning by government agencies.

It also provides funds for climate change adaptation work in small and medium businesses, as well as communities islandwide. It is being implemented by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation and is funded to the tune of US$19,869,963 by the Climate Investment Fund through the Inter-American Development Bank and the Government of Jamaica.

 

Source: http://jamaica-gleaner.com/article/news/20200206/earth-today-clarendon-gets-climate-resilience-boost

January 29, 2020

Issues surrounding Climate Change and the Environment were the main topics of discussion at a courtesy call paid to Hon. Daryl Vaz, Minister Without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, by H.E. Bernd von Munchow-Pohl, German Ambassador to Jamaica, and Ambassador Marian Schuegraf, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs,Germany.

L-R:  H.E. Bernd von Munchow-Pohl, German Ambassador to Jamaica; Ambassador Marian Schuegraf, Director for Latin America and the Caribbean in the Federal Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Germany; Hon. Daryl Vaz, Minister Without Portfolio, Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation (MEGJC); UnaMay Gordon, Principal Director, Climate Change Division, MEGJC

During the meeting held at Jamaica House on Tuesday, January 28, 2020, Minister Vaz, who has responsibility for Land, Environment, Climate Change and Investment, told the Ambassadors that Jamaica has to find the delicate balance between investment and growth, the environment and climate change, noting that the issues are critical ones for the country.

Ambassador Schuegraf who is visiting Jamaica for the first time, expressed her admiration for the country’s beauty and noted that climate change and the environment are two issues to which Germany is committed.  She noted that Jamaica is the leading country in the region in terms of climate change resilience.

Minister Vaz and the German Ambassadors, also discussed the possibility of both countries working together on eco-tourism projects in Jamaica.  According to Ambassador Von Munchow-Pohl, Germany has worked with Costa Rica in the area of eco-tourism which he said, comprises a large portion of Costa Rica’s capital.    

One of the interventions by Germany in the region, the International Climate Initiative (IKI) was also discussed. The project supports the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) in the Caribbean. 

NDCs represent efforts by each country to reduce their national emissions and adapt to the impacts of climate change. The Paris Agreement requires each Party to prepare, communicate and maintain successive Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) that it intends to achieve.

The International Climate Initiative supports the implementation of NDC’s in the Caribbean and specifically targets the transformation of the energy and transport sectors towards a low-carbon and climate-resilient future (NDC-CARIB).

Minister Vaz and Principal Director in the Ministry’s Climate Change Division, UnaMay Gordon, both expressed gratitude for the assistance that Germany has provided to Jamaica in terms of training and financial grants, which have helped the country to become climate resilient.

Closure Notice

Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation

The public is hereby notified that the offices of the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation will be closed on Thursday, January 23, 2020 for a staff meeting.

The closure will affect the Ministry’s regional offices at:-

Albion Road, Montego Bay

1 Bravo Street, St. Ann

Barracks Rd., Sav-La-Mar and

2 Brooks Avenue, May Pen

Reduced services will be offered at the Negril Green Island Area Local Planning Authority (NIGALPA),  and the Jamaica Special Economic Zone Authority (JSEZA) as well as our Corporate Area offices at:-

 25 Dominica Drive

16a Half Way Tree Road

191 Old Hope Road and

65 ¾  Half Way Tree Road ( Meteorological Services)

We regret the inconvenience to our valued clients, customers and stakeholders.

The Ministry will resume normal opening hours on Friday, January 24, 2020 at 8:30 a.m.