About 70 fisherfolk were affected by the Rio Cobre fish kill in July.
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Matthew Samuda, Minister with responsibility for the Environment
By Prince Moore
Fishers affected by the July fish kill in the Rio Cobre in St. Catherine are to be awarded $16 million in compensation.
Matthew Samuda, Minister with responsibility for the Environment, says the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) had recommended more than $57 million.
It's estimated that 70 fishermen were affected by the pollution.
Mr. Samuda said the payment will be in addition to other allocations for fishers who were affected.
"We have committed to - in line with the Ministry of Agriculture's assessment for farmers and fisherfolk - provide greater assistance as we come to new budgets," he said.
Mr. Samuda explained that because the fish kill happened in the middle of a budget cycle, the government "wouldn't be able to react in that way in the short term".
However, he insisted that the government would address the shortfall in other budgets to fall in line with the Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries' assessment of "about $55 million of displacement".
Along with the compensation for the fisherfolk, NEPA will receive $15 million for ecological assessment and $10 million for natural resources valuation, while $14.3 million was awarded for oversight of remediation works by UC Rusal/Windalco.
The National Water Commission will receive almost $43 million for revenue and operational losses, while the National Irrigation Commission will get little more than $17.4 million.
The funds are to come from the Environmental Performance Bond, valued at approximately $117 million.
Noting that the recommended compensation is beyond the value of the bond, Mr. Samuda said this will be addressed with upcoming budgetary allocations as well as through other legal channels to hold Windalco accountable.
Pointing the what he termed as the weakness in the bond, the minister said NEPA has been tasked to reassess all Environmental Performance Bonds for Industrial Actors, to determine the adequacy.
This will be an extensive process and is likely to take approximately six months.
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