JET questions NEPA effort in probing pollution case

 

Chief Executive Officer of Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), Dr. Theresa Rodriguez-Moodie, is questioning whether sufficient effort was expended on the part of the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) in its investigation of the pollution allegations against Wisynco.

 

NEPA said that the site of the suspected discharge from the Wisynco pipeline into the Rio Cobre was inaccessible, so no samples were taken for testing.

 

Dr. Rodriguez-Moodie says going forward, NEPA should ensure accessibility for enforcement officers to possible sites of pollution is included among compliance requirements for companies.

 

"Why would we have allowed a pipeline to extend over a river without ensuring any necessary ability to repair it, meaning that you're able to access it? So this should have been considered so that in the event of a break like this, NEPA would have been able to access it for sampling, because, of course, even Wisynco would want to access the pipeline, I'm sure, at some point to maintain it," she pointed out.

 

Dr. Rodriguez-Moodie reiterated the call for automatic monitoring systems to be installed in rivers across the island.

 

"Yes, it might be expensive initially, but what it will do is ensure that we get real-time data and this is something that you can respond to very quickly. You can rule out different industry depending on how you place it. So you know, we have to get serious. There are things that can be done. NEPA has indicated that they are looking into procurement of automated monitoring systems. This has been going on for a while," said the JET boss, who was speaking Thursday on the Morning Agenda on Power 106.