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BULLETIN #27
Rebuilding Jamaica
October 7, 2004 - 5:00 p.m.
Minister Simpson-Miller lauds progress of local authorities in relief efforts
Minister of Local Government, Community Development and Sport, Portia Simpson-
Miller is reminding local authorities of their responsibility to monitor the
rebuilding efforts by ensuring that buildings and structures can withstand the
effects of natural disasters such as hurricanes.
Speaking at a meeting of Mayors and Secretary Managers of the island's parish councils at the Knutsford Court Hotel recently, Mrs. Simpson Miller praised the group for the excellent job of clearing parish council roads, and establishing command posts at their offices to assist residents in a number of communities.
As it pertained to the cleaning of drains and gullies, the Local Government Minister said that the work done by the local authorities had limited the extent of the damage that could have been caused by Hurricane Ivan.
NWC's restoration of water treatment and production capacity almost complete
National Water Commission (NWC) has reported that 95 per cent of its water treatment
and production capacity has been restored in the aftermath of Hurricane Ivan.
Of the 460 water supply systems, which the NWC operates across the island,
392 of them have been brought back into service.
In the parish of Hanover, all 19 water supply systems have been brought back
into operation. In many of the other parishes however, there are still some
areas that have yet to be brought back onto the NWC's network. These areas include
sections of Kingston and St. Andrew, St. Elizabeth, St. Ann, Clarendon, Westmoreland
and Manchester.
The restoration of some of the systems has been hampered by other problems not related to energy and electricity supply. The NWC is working in all of those instances to complete the repairs and to undertake the necessary work, in terms of clearing intake structures and making physical changes to those structures and facilities, which had been damaged and are still out of operation.
Meanwhile, although the NWC has given the assurance that it is doing everything to ensure that the water is fully treated, customers are being reminded to treat piped water with bleach or boil all drinking water until further notice.
Increased monitoring and inspection of food and feed items
The Ministry of Commerce Science and Technology has increased monitoring and
inspection of industrial and commercial entities in order to ensure the safety
of materials, which are intended for consumption.
Reports from the Ministry are that following the passage of Hurricane Ivan,
inspectors have been strategically placed across the island, to ensure that
food and feed, in storage, as well as those offered for sale, remain in a condition
in which they can be utilised. In addition, special attention is being placed
on the donation of food items to the country in order to guarantee that their
safety is not compromised.
To date, the division has served over 45 statutory notices, ranging from detention orders, condemnation orders and unsanitary conditions for food and feed items. Approximately 2, 080 metric tonnes of food have been inspected valuing over $102 million, of which 405 metric tonnes have been condemned.
Contact: The Public Relations Department
E-mail: pr@jis.gov.jm
Tel: 929-1919
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