Thu | Mar 28, 2024

Sun, sea, sand, forsaken

Erosion, lack of sanitary conveniences, littering spoil public beaches

Published:Sunday | May 8, 2022 | 12:13 AMLivern Barrett - Senior Staff Reporter
Over $30 million was invested to upgrade Lyssons Beach in St Thomas a few years ago.
Over $30 million was invested to upgrade Lyssons Beach in St Thomas a few years ago.
Prospect Public Beach in St Thomas
Prospect Public Beach in St Thomas
Galleon Beach in St Elizabeth
Galleon Beach in St Elizabeth
On a regular basis, teams embark on a cleanup campaign of the Kingston Harbour.
On a regular basis, teams embark on a cleanup campaign of the Kingston Harbour.

“Admittedly, over the years we’ve had challenges with funding and maintenance of the beaches”: Anthony McKenzie, director of environmental management and conservation at NEPA.
“Admittedly, over the years we’ve had challenges with funding and maintenance of the beaches”: Anthony McKenzie, director of environmental management and conservation at NEPA.
1
2
3
4
5

Finding a decent free or low-cost public bathing beach anywhere in Jamaica is not for the faint-hearted. There are 76 public beaches scattered across all parishes, except Kingston, that are either free or cost up to $500 for entry, according to the...

Finding a decent free or low-cost public bathing beach anywhere in Jamaica is not for the faint-hearted.

There are 76 public beaches scattered across all parishes, except Kingston, that are either free or cost up to $500 for entry, according to the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), which regulates beaches in Jamaica.

Public beaches are listed in two categories: those with open access to the public that are unlicensed and those that are licensed with minimal amenities and an entry cost. Regulated beaches are required to have lifeguards, safety measures and sanitary facilities, NEPA disclosed.

But as The Sunday Gleaner found over the last two weeks, most are in shambles, lacking basic amenities and minimum safeguards, causing users to risk danger while enjoying a favourite recreational activity for many Jamaicans.

Some beaches, however, were found to be in good condition.

Concerns about pollution of the Kingston Harbour also forced the authorities to close nine beaches in the Jamaican capital.

All of this is in stark contrast to the pristine public beaches that have been leased or divested to hoteliers and other private business interests and enjoyed mainly by visitors to the island.

The total number of public beaches that are being privately operated either through lease or divestment remains unclear.

In a response to Sunday Gleaner queries, NEPA disclosed the names of six beaches owned by four state entities that were leased over the last two decades. They include Puerto Seco and Salem in St Ann; Boston in Portland; and Fort Clarence in St Catherine.

The state-owned Urban Development Corporation (UDC) said it needed more time to respond to Sunday Gleaner questions about the number of beaches it owns, how many have been divested or leased and whether lease arrangements guarantee the public access to these beaches at minimal costs.

“We will revert with comprehensive answers in short order,” UDC said in an emailed response to The Sunday Gleaner.

Up to press time, Jamaica Hotel and Tourist Association President Clifton Reader had not responded to questions from our newsroom.

‘OVERDEVELOPED AND OVERPRICED’

Dr Carolyn Cooper, professor emerita and outspoken advocate, charged that public beaches turned over to private operators have been “overdeveloped and overpriced so that poor people cannot access those beaches”.

Noting that a day at the beach is an affordable form of leisure for many families, Cooper questioned the rationale of having public beaches that are “poorly maintained”.

“My concern is that the history of our society, starting with the enslavement of African people, is a history that shows that black people were not supposed to enjoy leisure. We were conceived as beasts of burden,” she said.

“Spot monitoring” conducted by NEPA during the heights of the COVID-19 pandemic confirmed some of the deplorable conditions this newspaper saw during visits to free or low-cost public access beaches in St Andrew, St Catherine, Clarendon, Manchester, St Elizabeth, St Thomas, St Mary, St Ann, St James and Westmoreland.

“Some had a lot of garbage, some were eroded, and that’s a big problem … and some beaches that originally had sanitary conveniences are in a dilapidated state,” said Anthony McKenzie, director of environmental management and conservation at NEPA, referring to some of the findings.

A more comprehensive assessment is already under way and is expected to be completed by the end of this month, McKenzie disclosed during a Sunday Gleaner interview on Friday. The objective is to identify ways to expand the recreational offerings at public-access beaches, he said.

The decay and substandard conditions seen by The Sunday Gleaner teams were mainly in eastern and mid-island parishes.

As examples, Retreat Beach in St Thomas and Orange Bay Beach in Portland are no longer available to the public, both decimated by erosion and several hurricanes over the years.

NEPA confirmed that both beaches are “no longer there”.

“And we have one or two other examples like that,” added McKenzie.

Retreat Beach is owned by the state agency National Resources Conservation Authority and was leased to a resort operator, according to NEPA records.

But residents painted a picture of neglect.

“Back in the day there was a little pipe that you could use to shower and other things, but everything was demolished over 30-odd years ago,” said Rohan Bryan, councillor for the Morant Bay division, in which the beach falls.

“There is nothing for you to call it a public beach … no seating, nowhere to shower, nowhere to lay a blanket or to do a cookout. Retreat Beach is now a seaside,” he lamented.

POOR WATER QUALITY

Gunboat, Buccaneer, Harbour Head, Bournemouth and Sirgany were among nine popular open-access beaches within the Kingston Harbour that served residents in mainly eastern Kingston communities up to the late 1970s.

All nine have been closed either because of poor water quality or due to the construction of the Michael Manley Boulevard, NEPA disclosed.

“Because of the effluent discharge into the harbour, it impacts that [internationally accepted] parameter and so it’s not considered safe. So, they were ordered closed by the health ministry,” said McKenzie, although he admitted that members of the public still frequent all nine beaches.

The water quality in the Kingston Harbour is improving and the “vision” is that some of these beaches will be reopened, he said.

Residents have largely turned their backs on the Cave/Water Wheel beach in Westmoreland, claiming it is no longer “fit for use”.

“I don’t know of anyone in Cave or any of the districts around here who used that place recently,” said local mechanic Aaron Risden, referring to the Cave/Water Wheel beach.

“When we want to go to the beach, it is straight Bluefields. Even people from Whitehouse and Ferris, is Bluefields dem use.”

“Admittedly, over the years we’ve had challenges with funding and maintenance of the beaches,” McKenzie told The Sunday Gleaner.

But after years of neglect, it appears free public-access beaches have begun to get some attention.

McKenzie disclosed that over the past year, 15 beaches were “upgraded, cleaned up and rehabilitated” at a cost of nearly $10 million.

Ten more are earmarked for major rehabilitation work over the next two years by the Tourism Enhancement Fund, he said.

Crane River in St Elizabeth; Rocky Point in St Thomas; Winnifred in Portland; Murdock in St Mary; Priory in St Ann; and Success in St James are some of the beaches selected for upgrade work.

The recently opened Harmony Beach Park in Montego Bay, St James – developed at a cost of $1.3 billion – and Boston Bay, which was upgraded five years ago at a cost of approximately $40 million, were cited as examples of the models that will be pursued.

“We recognise that a lot of the beaches, as you rightly pointed out, are in a poor state and so a concerted effort is now being made to rehabilitate these beaches with proper investment,” McKenzie told The Sunday Gleaner.

livern.barrett@gleanerjm.com

Beaches accessible to the public free or at a cost not higher than $500: NEPA

ST ELIZABETH

Fort Charles - Free

Calabash Bay - Free

Parottee - Free

Crane Road/Fullerswood - Free

Galleon - Free

Great Bay - Free

Billy’s Bay - Free

Font Hill - Closed

WESTMORELAND

Whitehouse - Free

Norman Manley - Free

Bluefields - Free

Cave /Water Wheel - Free

Little Bay - Free

Long Bay Beach Park 1 - Adults $150 & Children $50

HANOVER

Orchard - Free

Tryall - Free

Bloody Bay - Free

Watson Taylor Park - Free

Bulls Bay - Free

Lances Bay - Free

ST JAMES

Water Fletcher/Aqua Sol - Closed for construction (Last cost: $350)

Sunset/Dead End - Free

Coral Gardens - Free

Barnett Hall - Free

Harmony Beach Park - Free

Greenwood - Free

TRELAWNY

Flamingo - Free

Half Moon Bay - Free

Braco - Free

Rio Bueno - Free

Burwood - Free

Jacob Taylor/Silver Sands - Free

ST ANN

Cardiff Hall/ Flavours - Free

Priory/ Fantasy - Free

Salem/ Sharkies - Free

Dunn’s River - Children $500 (Adult $1,000)

Sailor’s Hole - Free

Ocho Rios/Turtle River - Adult $200 & Children $100

Roxborough - Free

Lot 17 Bengal - Free

ST MARY

Annotto Bay/ Marking Stone

James Bond - Closed (Last cost: Adult $350 & Children $200)

Rio Nuevo - Free

Murdock - Free

Pagee - Free

PORTLAND

Boston Bay - $300

Long Bay - Free

Innis Bay - Free

Rodney Hall - Free

Hope Bay - Free

Blue Hole - Free

Manchioneal - Free

Buff Bay - Free

Spring Gardens - Free

Hermitage - Free

Bryan’s Bay - Free

Drapers - Free

Winnifred - Free (contributions are expected)

ST THOMAS

Lyssons - Free

Prospect - Free

Retreat - Free

Rocky Point - Free

South Haven - Free

Coopers - Free

Mezgars Run - Free

ST CATHERINE

Port Henderson - Free

Marine Terminal - Free

Hellshire Bay - A small fee is collected by the co-operative

Fort Clarence - Closed for renovations

CLARENDON

Jackson Bay - Free

Farquhar - Free

MANCHESTER

Wards - Free

Alligator Pond - Free

Hudson Bay - Free

ST ANDREW

Copacabana - Free