JET’s Advocacy Role in Harbour View


JET's Environmental Law team has been very busy with the Harbour View Citizens Association and other groups in the neighborhood to address concerns arising from the defunct sewage plant and problems with illegal vending in the area.

In September, JET conducted a community advocacy training workshop that helped members of the citizens' association develop a six -month action plan. Working groups were created and these have started a range of activities.
Above: Harbour View residents at the advocacy training workshop on September 4th
On October 16th, Harbour View residents and JET staff visited the sewage plant where they saw pools of raw sewage, mosquitoes and even individuals living on the site. Since Hurricane Ivan, outflow pipes had been blocked, causing the sewage to overflow directly unto the plant grounds.

As a result of the visit, a press release was issued jointly by the Harbour View Citizens Association and JET, in which immediate action was called by the Office of Utilities and National Water Commission. In the press release, a representative of the association said, "Residents are very disappointed in successive governments, which have allowed the National Water Commission to charge for the treatment of sewerage, a service that has not been carried out for in excess of 20 years. What we have now is a health hazard."

Teachers identified opportunities for infusing workshop content into school curricula. Each participating school was also provided with resource materials that can be used to make solid waste education more interesting.

Jacqueline Neita, a Teacher from Cross Keys High in Manchester said "The visit to the dumpsite was very interesting and really opened my eyes to the fact that our garbage [does] not just disappear, and [that] what we do will come back to hurt us.I will suggest a field trip for my school."

Carole Excell, Field Office
Representative for the Carter
Center talks about the Access to
Information Act with Harbour
View residents
 Dr. Carolyn Gomes, Executive
Director for Jamaicans for Justice,
aids a group of residents write
requests under the Access to
Information Act


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