KINGSTON, Jamaica: The operational capacity of the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) has been boosted with an injection of 11 new compactor trucks.

The trucks, which are valued at some US$1.75 million, swell the number of new units handed over to the garbage collection and disposal entity in the last three years to 42.

“The Government is cognizant of the need to increase the stock of the National Solid Waste Management Authority. We have made significant investments in the Authority and will continue to do so, as a lot more will be done,” said Honourable Desmond McKenzie.

The Minister of Local Government and Community Development was speaking during a handover ceremony for the new units on Tuesday (February 19, 2019).

The Metropolitan Parks and Markets will receive four of the units; three has been deployed to the Western Parks and Markets; and the Southern Parks and Markets and North East Parks and Markets will receive two each.

Minister McKenzie also underlined the need for amended legislation to ensure that persons adhere to their civic responsibilities given the nuisances of littering and the burning of garbage.

“I am really concerned about the level of indiscipline in this country by persons who can do better. I am calling on well-thinking Jamaicans to join the crusade to make Jamaica cleaner.”

To strengthen this call to action, the NSWMA will be undertaking an islandwide public education campaign targeting schools, communities through town hall meetings and media messaging among other strategies.

During the 2019/2020 fiscal year, an additional 100 trucks will be leased and placed in the services of the NSWMA to further augment its operational capacity.

“I want us to deploy the trucks in a way that we will start to see the result of increased resources…have them washed and cleaned to maintain pride and dignity,” Minister McKenzie advised NSWMA workers.  “Take pride in your duties and remember to consider yourself as a critical stakeholder in the development of this country.”

KINGSTON, Jamaica: A new Building Act with a modern legislative framework that will serve to reduce the vulnerability of Jamaica’s built environment and ensure public safety, is now in effect.

The Building Act 2018 came into force on January 15 and repeals the Kingston and St. Andrew Building Act and the Parish Councils Building Act.

“The Act is critical to the effort to prevent new squatter settlements from being built, promote sustainable development, establish and enforce internationally-accepted building standards and rules for individuals and entities providing construction material and services,” said Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie.

“The Ministry through all the local authorities as building authorities as well as the Bureau of Standards and regulatory and appeals tribunals established through the Act will be enforcing its provisions rigorously.”

The Minister was addressing the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management’s Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Campaign 2019 press conference on January 14.

He explained that the enforcement measures will not only apply to persons and companies who are building structures; but also those who occupy and otherwise use structures.

“Section 48 to 58 of the Building Act give the Local Authorities clear powers to intervene through Emergency Orders to stop the dangerous use of land as well as to require owners to repair buildings certified as dangerous structures.”

According to Minister McKenzie, the new legislation is part of Government’s thrust for the country to be more disaster-resilient.

“The logic is very simple, in the event of an earthquake, better buildings in properly planned and approved location, improve the chances of people’s survival,” he added.

The Building Act 2018 also facilitates the adoption and efficient application of the National Building Code of Jamaica. It also regulates building work and change of building use by requiring permits so as to protect public safety and public health and other public interest considerations.

It also will see the establishment of a building practitioners’ board; identifying and appointing a registrar; developing standard operating procedures and guidelines for the operation of the registrar; establishing a building advisory council and building appeal tribunal.

The Minister with portfolio responsibility will be able to review the Act’s operation and effectiveness, three years from the appointed day.

KINGSTON, Jamaica: Jamaicans are being urged to embrace a more proactive approach to natural disasters as the country moves to increase its disaster resilience.

Minster of Local Government and Community development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, gave the charge during an Earthquake and Tsunami Awareness Campaign 2019 press conference hosted by the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM) on Monday (January 14, 2019).

“It is fitting that we are here today, just two weeks into 2019, to shake up the national attitude to earthquakes and tsunamis…I am making a personal appeal to very Jamaican to take this campaign of earthquake and tsunami awareness seriously,” he said.

“My concern is that the majority of our people continue to see disasters as incidental and unlikely to happen to them and if they do, the feeling is that it is Central Government and its agencies that must exclusively do what is necessary.”

Minister McKenzie underscored that with Jamaica being one of the vulnerable small state islands in the region, disaster awareness and preparedness should be in the personal interest of each citizen.

The month of January is observed locally as Earthquake Awareness Month.

Statistics shared by the ODPEM’s Director General, Major Clive Davis, indicate that seismic activities increased globally during last year and that Jamaica is exposed to 200 quakes yearly – many of which are too small to be felt by humans. Three tsunami alerts were issued in the region for 2018.

Some 17 major earthquakes occurred across the globe, the three of which were experienced in Haiti, Mexico and Trinidad, leaving more than 4000 injured; 2,256 dead; at least 600 persons missing and extensive property damages.

According to Major Davis, his agency wants “to insight the nation into action for an earthquake or tsunami occurrence at any time” and that schools islandwide have been selected for special activities and focus as part of the ODPEM’s public education campaign.

The Minister also stated that natural disasters have cost Jamaica billion of dollars that could have improved infrastructure and social services.  He pointed to a recent United Nations’ publication reporting that efforts by countries in the region to grow their economies are constantly threatened by natural disasters.

“The vulnerability in Latin America and the Caribbean are often just one disaster away from falling back into poverty,” noted Minister McKenzie.  “The Government is therefore doing the necessary things to increase this country’s capacity for disaster resilience. I urge you take greater personal responsibility as we move to make this island ready for developed country status by the year 2030.”

Security arrangements at the Riverton City Landfill, off Spanish Town Road in Kingston, are to be further enhanced with a donation of $1 million by brewing company, Red Stripe.

The money will be used to, among other things, procure surveillance equipment for the landfill.

This is in addition to enhanced security measures the Government has put in place following recent fires at the disposal site, suspected to be the work of arsonists.

Speaking at a handover ceremony at Red Stripe’s Spanish Town Road location on Friday (August 24), Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, noted that security has also been increased at all landfills across the country since the fires.

The Minister said that some of the security measures will be visible, while others will be discreet, and bemoaned the indiscipline that exists around the country’s disposal sites, particularly the Riverton City and Retirement facilities.

“It is a sad reflection on us as a country when we have to waste the kind of resources that we have to guard a landfill from people with criminal and devious intent,” Mr. McKenzie said.

The Minister lamented that over the last eight to 10 weeks, the Government has had to spend $150 million to extinguish fires which could have otherwise been used “to fix some more roads, upgrade some more infirmaries and provide more summer employment for our young people.”

In the meantime, Minister McKenzie welcomed the donation, noting that this is an ideal demonstration of good corporate social responsibility.

“It is not just the Government’s problem, but it is a problem that affects all of us. When there is fire, it means that production is low, it means that we would lose valuable hours in the workplace and there are many associated problems with fires that are created unnecessarily,” he said.

In his remarks, Managing Director, Red Stripe, Ricardo Nuncio, noted that the fire had an impact on the company’s employees and operations, and the donation is one tangible way to provide support.

He said the money is one of the 100 gifts the company will be giving away in celebration of its 100th year in operation.

“We want to give this gift to the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) to support their efforts of managing the Riverton City (landfill) better. I know it’s not going to solve your entire problems, but I think that it’s definitely going to help you go in the right direction and avoid this issue from happening again,” he said.

The money was provided through the brewery’s Desnoes and Geddes Foundation, which carries out its philanthropic work.

The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development rolled out its Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP) for a second consecutive year and will employ approximately 3590 participants.

Members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) are now protecting personnel and property at Disposal Sites island-wide, as part of a wider security plan being implemented in the wake of recent fires set at the locations. This was announced today by Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, after a special meeting held with the Board of the National Solid Waste Management Authority.

“The JCF and the JDF are on duty as we speak, and arrangements are already being made to enhance their physical presence at the Disposal Sites with private security personnel. Additionally, we will be procuring and deploying surveillance Drones to constantly monitor all activities at the Disposal Sites. The Government is serious when it says that the Disposal Sites, which are national assets, will be protected, and that the workers assigned to them will also be protected.”

The Minister stated that the security plan being rolled out at the Disposal Sites is intended to address all identified issues in the short, medium and long term. “We are responding not only to current issues, but we also allocating resources and using personnel and strategies over time to ensure that security breaches will be eliminated once and for all. This Administration has strongly resolved that the plans to continue managing the Disposal Sites, and to prepare them to be turned over to private ownership and public regulation as part of the national waste to energy policy, will not be sabotaged by criminally-minded people bent of profiting from the discomfort of their fellow citizens.”

Minister McKenzie also called on citizens to support the Government’s efforts at enhancing security, and to expose and condemn those who ignited the latest fires for their heartless and illegal actions.

Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, has secured enhanced protection for all the workers involved in extinguishing the residual smoke at the Riverton Disposal Site, in the wake of threats issued against them.

“They have been threatened by unscrupulous persons, who, as I indicated before, have a tradition of setting fires at Riverton with the intent of profiting from putting them out. Based on intelligence so far obtained, arrangements have been made for enhanced security not only at Riverton, but at all the Disposal Sites affected by fires recently, including Retirement in St. James and Church Corner in St. Thomas. This Administration will not bow to any form of intimidation from the lawless in our society.”

In assuring the workers that they are safe, the Minister noted that this incident is further proof that the fires that have occurred at the Disposal Sites over the past six weeks are organized. “The people who are doing this are well aware that there are expenses incurred in extinguishing the fires, and this sabotage, this assault on the environment, is driven substantially by a cynical desire to make money. They do not represent the average Jamaican, who I call on today to support the Government, and expose and condemn them for their callous and illegal actions.”

The Minister said the macro-economic gains made by the Government, and the governance and social interventions made through the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, will not be allowed to be hindered by criminally-minded people who are unconcerned about the health and well-being of their fellow citizens.

MONTEGO BAY, July 19 (JIS): Minister of Local Government and Community Development, Honourable Desmond McKenzie, has announced that there will be an increase in the number of participants employed in the agency’s Youth Summer Employment Programme (YSEP).

The programme, which is in its second year, will commence on August 9 and employ young persons over a four-week period to conduct an audit of street lights, and to do other tasks.

Speaking at the Local Governance Conference in Montego Bay, St. James on July 19, 2018, the Minister noted that last year, some 2,500 young people were employed across all the municipalities, and this year the number will be increased to 3,000.

“The decision to do the audit while creating employment for the youth has certainly benefited us. Based on the audit that was done last year, we were in a better position to represent our case as a local authority with the Jamaica Public Service Company as it relates to the amount of street lights that are working across the country,” Mr. McKenzie said.

He added that in this year’s programme, the summer employees will also assist the local authorities in identifying persons who have trade licences.

“This programme will see each councillor having 15 individuals in the respective divisions and mayors will have 25 participants,” the Minister said.

Mr. McKenzie pointed out that the findings will be recorded in a database that will provide information for the Ministry and the Municipal Corporations.

The summer initiative falls under the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme, which provides educational and job opportunities for young people, aged 18 to 24, who are not employed or enrolled in a school or programme of training.

MONTEGO BAY, July 18 (JIS): Mayor of Kingston and St. Andrew, Senator Councillor Delroy Williams, says a coordinated approach to urban planning and development in the town centres and cities will improve responsiveness and accountability in the Municipalities.

Mr. Williams, who made a presentation at the recent Local Governance Conference in Montego Bay, St. James, said the urban sector is a key contributor to economic growth, as cities and towns are hubs for jobs, educational and health facilities, and transportation.

“Good urban governance and accountability require technocratic and professional expertise, but equally as important is a capable municipal service. City managers and urban planners must adopt a long term outlook in policy formation,” he argued.

The Mayor said that a coordinated approach among agencies is the revolutionary way which provides a procedure that helps cities identify their strengths and weaknesses, while defining the main strategies for local development.

“This is absolutely necessary for change. The public services need to be aligned and interconnected. People must see us as one entity, so when roads are being fixed, water pipes are fixed also – at the same time,” he emphasised.

Mr. Williams said that the coordinated approach will also help to avoid the pitfalls of making quick decisions that will prove costly over time.

“Mayors, you are in a critical role to bring this coordination together and to encourage State agencies to start working together to actualize true urban development,” he told the audience.

Mr. Williams said the decisions that influence planning must be derived from robust debates and inclusive contributions from all stakeholders to “work the policies to a logical end, to ensure that before they are implemented, they address critical urban challenges faced by all.”

“Coordination is essential for solving urban challenges, and modern urban challenges fall outside of existing organizational boundaries. So, let us have plans that have a futuristic outlook that relate to our policy formulation. We have to think, plan and work together for the future,” the Mayor said.

MONTEGO BAY, July 18 (JIS): Prime Minister, the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, is recommending that community members be trained as disaster first responders.

Addressing the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development’s Local Governance Conference in Montego Bay on July 17, 2018; Mr. Holness also challenged the island’s municipal corporations to train their staff in disaster management.

“If the corporations require assistance, they should collaborate with existing bodies, such as the Housing, Opportunity, Production and Employment (HOPE) programme to get training to equip young people in communities to assist in times of natural or man-made disasters,” the Prime Minister suggested.

Mr. Holness, who is also Chairman of the National Disaster Risk Management Council, said this will help the country to be better prepared to tackle the frequency and intensity of disasters, which can destabilise the economy.

“Local government has so much to do with preparing the minds of the citizens as it relates to natural disasters. A big part of this preparedness is training coordinators to re-culture how citizens operate, which includes getting people not to live in gully courses and on river banks,” the Prime Minister said.

“There is nothing more powerful than the councillor explaining to them (citizens) the dangers they face when they do things that could create disaster risks, and having locally structured programmes to facilitate their movement and prevent and lower these risks,” he added.

Meanwhile, Local Government and Community Development Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, said it is his desire to see noticeable improvements in disaster risk reduction, mitigation and resilience modalities in all municipal corporations.

The Minister said he also welcomes the recommendations made by Prime Minister Holness.

Mr. McKenzie noted that the conference is a precursor to the regional conference on disaster management and risk reduction to be held in July 2020.