JET calls for suspension of permit for company responsible for latest Rio Cobre fish kill

By Kimone Witter    

 

Environment lobby group Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) is calling for the temporary suspension of the permit issued to the company found to be responsible for Friday's fish kill in the Rio Cobre in St. Catherine.

 

Executive Director of JET Dr. Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie says the penalty should remain in place until stakeholders are satisfied that preventative measures put in place will be effective.

 

The pollutant and source are being investigated by the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA).

 

But residents of Linstead said the river had a strong caustic smell.

 

NEPA has described the fish kill as minor, but Dr. Rodriguez-Moodie says the issue is recurring too often and affecting many who depend on the river.

 

Mrs. Rodriguez-Moodie has argued for stronger penalties and enforcement of environmental laws by NEPA.

 

She has also put forward recommendations for better monitoring of the Rio Cobre. 

 

"We also want to see the data that comes along with it. Now, I understand that NEPA will say that they don't have a lot of staff which makes it challenging. But this is why we're looking at automatic monitoring systems. There are tools that are in place that can be put in the river so that they can detect when there are high levels of pH or faecal coliform or whatever it is, so that there can be fast response time," she suggested. 

 

Mrs. Rodriguez-Moodie also called for greater transparency, noting that the public should be told when the river has been polluted and should not be used as well as when it is safe. 

 

She was speaking Tuesday on TVJ's Smile Jamaica.