By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
A NEW sanitation project, dubbed 'Improved Sanitation Management Practices' is to be introduced in sections of the island, in response to unhygienic habits in St. James, Westmoreland and Portland, Jamaica's major resort areas.
Co-ordinators of the project contend that poor sanitation has been identified as a top priority problem in the Great River and the Rio Grande watersheds, making it urgent for such a project to be implemented now.
Great River is the major source of potable water for the tourist city of Montego Bay, and some 10 million gallons of water are drawn from that source on a daily basis to serve the city and its environs.
Jason Excell, Water and Sanitation Specialist with the project, points to the cumulative effect of using pit latrines and absorption pits in areas not suited for such sewage disposal practices as contributing to the poor quality of water now detected in the Great River, and to a lesser extent in the Rio Grande River.
"There are high levels of faecal coliform in the water, and the large numbers of pit latrines located near to underground water sources and close to the river is causing high bacterial contamination of the river," said Mr. Excell in an interview with The Gleaner.
Data collected by the University of the West Indies pinpoint trends in coliform levels exceeding the maximum allowable limits over 50 per cent of the time, indicating a threat to human health.
Mr. Excell says with human and animal faeces getting into the water, users of the river water and probably the sea-water are exposed to ear and skin infections, and those who ingest the untreated water, might have stomach ailments.
"A big problem in the Great River is that people tie their animals in or too close to the river. So faecal matter from these animals get into the river. There is also pollution from business complexes," adds Leo Douglas, Project Support and Logistics Manager with Ridge-to-Reef.
The comments come at a time when the island is grappling with more than 1,300 cases of gastroenteritis and three cases of typhoid in Westmoreland.
Some of the communities in the Great River watershed also have a history of water borne diseases.
The planning phase of the Improved Sanitation Management Practices project began in mid-January, but the outreach to householders and special interest groups is slated to begin by April.
The programme will last for 18 months.
Noting that many times there is little or no alternatives offered to the residents to change their unhealthy practises, Mr. Douglas said the project will be seeking to promote the new toilet system.
"We will be targeting artisans in the rural areas- those who usually build the soak-away pits and pit latrines. We will be training them how to build the wetland constructed sanitation system, and teaching them about the cost-effectiveness and health benefits of this new system," he said.
The new technology utilises a small man-made wetland in which the roots of plants are used to provide natural treatment of the wastewater from sewage systems by removing organic matter and destroying naturally occurring disease causing organisms.
The project will be promoting the use of sage and wildcane as plants which can be utilised by householders in the wetland system, to remove the organic matter from the wastewater.
So far, the system has only been set up at some schools in the Great River watershed area for demonstration purposes.
"We now want to move it from the demonstration phase and streamline it in polices of the Government and practices by the people," said Mr. Douglas.
The Improved Sanitation Management Practices project is a sub-venture under the Ridge-to-Reef Watershed Project , which is a US$6million initiative between the United States Agency for International Development and Jamaica.
