NEPA pledges partnership with Portmore to address environmental concerns

With mounting environmental challenges in Portmore, St Catherine, the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) has committed to collaborating closely with the Portmore City Municipality to address various issues brought up by local councillors.

NEPA’s CEO, Leonard Francis, who was invited to Wednesday’s municipal meeting, acknowledged the issues raised by Deputy Mayor Alric Campbell and other councillors, stressing the need for a well-defined, strategic approach.

“What we need to do is put together a plan of action; it can’t be a knee-jerk reaction,” Francis stated. “So, what I am thinking is one, in terms of the mangroves and dumping issues, we could have the discussions about enforcement.”

Francis suggested that NEPA’s enforcement officers could work alongside the municipality’s team and the Urban Development Corporation (UDC) to schedule enforcement days for specific areas.

He emphasised NEPA’s commitment to partnering with the Portmore City Municipality.

“The entity team NEPA has advised me that the Portmore City Municipality is very important to us in terms of sustainability efforts. So, one, we would like to partner with you in terms of enforcement monitoring, actually working together with your enforcement officers,” he said.

Among the agency’s priorities, he mentioned the monitoring of mangroves and wetlands, addressing crocodile threats, and protecting Hellshire Beach, which he said is “fast eroding and could be lost if action is not taken”.

Francis added that NEPA is planning public initiatives, including a junior environmental agency competition to engage schools, modelled after the municipality’s junior council programme.

Francis encouraged the municipality to document environmental concerns in a letter, so that NEPA and council representatives could meet to develop a comprehensive plan.

Campbell voiced his concern over the recent trend of property owners reclaiming mangroves and wetlands to expand properties. He urged NEPA to consider declaring the Dawkins Pond and Port Henderson areas as protected zones, to safeguard the ecosystem.

Campbell also requested NEPA’s careful evaluation of any new commercial projects along Dyke Road that could interfere with its intended function and increase flood risks.

“I want to call on NEPA, when the partnership begins, to consider declaring the whole Dawkins Pond, Port Henderson Road area a protected area, so that the natural resources that are there and the ecosystems can be protected,” Campbell stated.

He further raised concerns about potential chemical-related developments along the Dyke and Rio Cobre areas, which could harm the waterway.

“Happily, the application has not reached the council as yet. So we will be on our guard looking out for the application when it reaches us,” he said.

Additionally, Campbell highlighted worries over NEPA’s affiliation with the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, expressing the view that the ministry’s development-focused mandate could compromise NEPA’s environmental oversight.

In response, Francis reassured the council that NEPA would “operate transparently and within the ambit of the law”, regardless of its placement within the ministry.

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