Noel Thompson, Freelance Writer

WESTERN BUREAU

A group of environmentalists based in western Jamaica are warning of the potential negative impact of global climate change to informal and unplanned settlements in the country.

Executive director of the Hanover-based Dolphin Head Trust, Paula Hurlock points out that successive administrations and the relevant agencies have spent large sums of money approving subdivisions that were unsuitable for certain geographical areas.

"Some places were on very steep gradients, which would require thousands of dollars to construct retaining walls, or subdivisions in storm-water run-off paths," Hurlock told a Gleaner Editors' Forum last week. "We will have to be more vigilant in ensuring that we have a better handle on the approval process to prevent such recurrences," she said.

Major flooding

Hurlock warns that if drastic steps are not implemented to stop the approval of subdivisions in ancient river courses, it could result in major flooding in the near future, more devastating than situations 10-15 years ago.

Hurlock points out that environ-mentalists are not only blaming unplanned developments, arguing that there are solutions, but stake-holders have not invested enough time in implementing them. She believes that in the same manner that private lands are found for developments, the same can be done to execute proper planning for communities.

In his first Budget presentation on Tuesday, Prime Minister Bruce Golding announced that his administration was committed to regularising squatter settlements islandwide.

Hugh Dixon, chairman of the Southern Trelawny Environment Trust agrees that it will cost significant sums to regularise informal settlements in the short term, but says the long-term collective benefits will pay off greatly.

Negative impacts

And, chairman of the Community Organisation for Management and Sustainable Development in St James, O. Dave Allen, concurs that unplanned development has negative impacts on the environment. "The deforestation of Norwood has seen high levels of sedimentation. Increased storm-water run-off and flooding have impacted other environments," he tells The Sunday Gleaner.

Added Allen: "Whatever we do impacts on the environment, so we must find ways of mitigating those impacts. Priority must be given to formalising squatter settlements so that people have better access to basic infrastructure and social amenities, security and emergency services."

noel.thompson@gleanerjm.com