THE EDITOR, Sir:
LAST WEEK, we were exposed to heavy media coverage of the tourism industry, and were informed that there will be a substantial increase in hotel rooms, although there is at present a slump in occupancy. Later this year, a 900-room hotel is to be opened in the Ocho Rios area, and an area of land in the Mammee Bay area, from which squatters have recently been removed, has been cleared in preparation for construction of yet another hotel - a further increase in hotel rooms in the offing!
From this, we can anticipate the employment of a substantial number of persons, most of whom will come from far and wide. Yet, we have not heard of any release of land for the construction of low-cost housing to facilitate this influx of hotel employees. In fact, there is already a backlog of housing needs in the area, as witnessed by the existence of some six or so squatter settlements in the 'Greater Ocho Rios Area'.
One of the many dangers of an expansion of such settlements is the threat of contamination of the very product that increased rooms are supposed to thrive on, the falls and seashore. The surrounding hills will continue to be the target of squatters, and these very hills are a part of the watershed that feed the falls and is drained out to the sea. The E.coli count will rise dangerously.
Let us quickly get rooms for the locals too.
I am, etc.,
DONALD DRAYTON
didrayton@cwjamaica.com
