The Rio Cobre after one of the recent cases of chemical contamination
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Diana McCauley and Dr Sacha Rene Todd, speaking Monday on Beyond the Headlines
Some environmentalists are seemingly unenthused about a plan to establish a River Control Authority.
Minister with Responsibility for the Environment Matthew Samuda made the announcement following outcry about a confidential agreement between the Natural Resources Conservation Authority and Trade Winds Citrus Limited to end prosecution over an oil spill in the Rio Cobre.
He said the River Control Authority would operate in a manner similar to the Beach Control Authority.
But Environmentalist Diana McCauley, responding Monday on Radio Jamaica's Beyond the Headlines, said she had no confidence in such a body to police and protect rivers.
"I find it very difficult to take these kinds of announcements seriously," she flatly declared, noting that such initiatives are often announced in the wake of major scandals affecting particular sectors, but are not followed by effective action.
So, while conceding that a river control authority is not necessarily a bad idea, and has been instituted in various countries, she opined that, in this instance, "it is just to take the discussion away from what actually happened at the Rio Cobre, and that's what gives me some discomfort."
Similarly, Fresh Water Scientist Dr Sacha Rene Todd said greater effort should be made to enforce the laws that already exist, "that guide how we allocate, conserve and manage Jamaica's water resources."
"I think the main problem we have now is (with regard to) enforcement mechanisms," she said, pointing to a 2028 study, "that looked at just how effective legislation and enforcement mechanisms are, and basically, the outcome of that study was that if we simply enforce the laws that already exist, we would mitigate and prevent a lot of the issues that we see currently."
Nevertheless said she'd be "interested to hear more about how the proposed mechanism (of the River Control Authority) would work in Jamaica."
NEPA Assessment
Diana McCauley also wants to see an assessment of the efficacy of the National Environment and Planning Agency [NEPA] in its effort to prosecute environmental breaches.
She said the website of the agency is "very, very badly updated," in respect of those issues that have been taken to court.
"You'll see something that went to court in 2022 and you won't know what happened since then."
Accordingly, she said, "there should be a study of NEPA's effectiveness in its prosecutorial role, because that is something the public should know as well."
Noting that "this agency is funded by taxpayers," she stressed that it was important to know how effectiveness it has been.
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