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The National Environment and
Planning Agency (NEPA), has embarked on an island-wide sewage
treatment facility monitoring programme. The project which started in
late September, aims to ensure that operation and construction of
treatment plants adhere to the terms of the permits for constructing
sewage facilities and licences for discharging sewage effluent.
To date, NEPA has completed its
monitoring of sewage treatment facilities in St. Ann. While all
laboratory results are not yet completed, results were available for
nine properties. Of that number five exceeded the sewage effluent
standards.
At least one property was in
breach of the effluent standards for Total Suspended Solids (TSS). The
Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) 24mg/l and Chemical Oxygen Demand (COD)
428mg/l were exceeded in another instance and the effluent organic
content was also too high.
The standards for faecal coliform
are 1000 MPN/100 ml; pH is 6-9, residual chlorine is 1.5 mg/l;
Biochemical Oxygen Demand (BOD5) is 20 mg/l and Total Suspended Solids
is 20 mg/l.
One property was found to be
releasing effluent on to the shore of the nearby beach. NEPA has
indicated that this must be corrected soon and has also initiated
dialogue with those who were found in breach of the standards
elsewhere in the Parish to ensure compliance.
St. James and Trelawny are next
on NEPA’s monitoring schedule.
NEPA routinely monitors the
operations of sewage treatment plants, in keeping with its mandate to
manage and protect Jamaica’s environmental resources. The increased
monitoring activities come as part of the Agency’s larger thrust to
increase compliance in various sectors and to demonstrate its
commitment to tackling environmental breaches.
NEPA is also warning that
non-functioning and poorly maintained sewage treatment plants will
attract serious action. Non-functioning sewage treatment plants affect
the quality of Jamaican coastal waters, as untreated sewage pumped
into the sea pollutes the marine environment and leads to unsafe
recreational bathing waters. This places the health of citizens and
tourists at risk and can lead to increased health costs and a decrease
in tourism patronage.
Sewage Treatment Plant operators
which do not ensure that their sewage treatment facilities are in
proper working conditions also run the risk of being brought before
the courts. This further compromises their ‘green friendly’ image,
especially as it relates to Green Globe and Blue Flag certifications,
both of which are international eco-labels aimed at getting hotels to
operate in environmentally friendly ways.
NEPA has, in recent years,
promoted Blue Flag and Green Globe certification programmes and is
responsible for coordinating the Blue Flag Programme in Jamaica, in
collaboration with the Negril area Environmental Protection Trust (NEPT).
NEPT is the National Blue Flag Operator in Jamaica.
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