The Editor, Sir:

The Cockpit Country is an area filled with biodiversity and, as such, has potential to be a major source of income for our country now and in the future.

Many people, however, do not understand that the Cockpit Country already provides an income for hundreds of people. The rivers and their wetlands that have their source in the Cockpit Country are major tourist attractions. Dunn's River Falls, YS Falls (Black River) and the Martha Brae (rafting) are all fed from the immense aquifer from this ecosystem. This is the reason their flow is hardly affected in the dry season.

The wetlands are a major source of income for local fishermen and their estuaries provide nurseries for many commercial fishes. Not only that, many supplement their income by offering chartered tours into the wetlands or the tributaries of the bigger rivers.

Future problems

Rivers are a source of water for irrigation and domestic (and industrial) consumption, and no doubt also for the tourist industry.

The fact that the Cockpit Country has little surface water shows that an would only cause problems in the future. It would increase flooding across all western parishes, especially on their flood plains, where many industries and homes are located.

Is the Government prepared to offe to the hundreds of people who would lose all or part of their yearly income from tourism, fishing or agricultural industries? Are they prepared to truck water into the many districts that would lose their source of water either through drought or pollution every year? Are they prepared to rebuild the infrastructure destroyed by flooding twice a year during the rainy season? This is multiplied by millions of dollars yearly.

Destroying this ecosystem is a step towards poverty for the residents of western Jamaica. We urge Minister Clarke to take a stand against poverty and preserve the source of life (water) for many Jamaicans.

I am, etc.,

K.A.W.

Juggiswar@aol.com