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...or, was Maudib who said that.
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Well?
Here is an Observer EDITORIAL -
People should be jailed for poisoning rivers
Monday, May 07, 2007
The story 'Stop poisoning the rivers!' in yesterday's edition of the Sunday Observer should be a must- read for everyone.
It tells of how deliberate river poisoning is threatening the livelihood and health of residents in the picturesque Rio Grande Valley of Portland in north- eastern Jamaica. Simply put, rather than fishing in legal, time-honoured and conventional fashion, unscrupulous people are pouring poison into the water to speed up and maximise their catch.
We are told that hazardous chemicals such as the weed killer gramazone and bleach are being used to kill fish. The fact that fish killed in that manner could prove deadly for consumers and that the water - which is life for animals of every type including humans - is being poisoned, is apparently of no concern to the perpetrators. Ms Linnette Wilks, coordinator of the Bowden Pen Farmers Association in the Rio Grande Valley, said that "if the problem is not solved, then future generations may not know what a cray or a janga fish look like". She goes beyond that, to point out that the poisoned water and fish can trigger all sorts of illnesses in humans, leading even to death. This newspaper applauds efforts which apparently have the support of the community to launch education and awareness programmes, and to mobilise community members to monitor their waterways as well as "track and prosecute poisoning events".
We pray that the efforts are sustained and get the requisite support from government. We note a well-meaning comment by Ms Kimberly John of the Nature Conservancy agency, that crimes such as these are "hard to prosecute because it is done in secret". We agree that prosecution is probably difficult; we do not agree that it is a secret to many of those who live in the communities. Here is another case where well-thinking people need to be assertive and to take charge to protect themselves, their neighbours and the wider society.
Allied to that of course, the authorities, through the judiciary, the police, park monitors, wardens and all those with the authority to deal with environmental offences, must send the clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated. For while it may come as a surprise to some, there are laws which are meant to punish those found guily of practices such as poisoning the waters of the Rio Grande. Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1945 which was amended in 1998 for example, individuals and company directors found guilty of deliberately placing hazardous materials, including industrial waste, into rivers and waterways can be subject to a fine of $100,000 and/or a year in prison. And the Natural Resources Regulations (1993) stipulates a fine of $10,000 or imprisonment for two years. Of course, the problem is not confined to the Rio Grande Valley, nor is it new.
For years there have been complaints about fishermen in our coastal waters who use hazardous material including dynamite to kill fish.
And in recent weeks there have been reports of fish kills in the Black River, caused, it is believed, by waste from the sugar/rum industry. In a society with so many problems it is easy for environmental protection to remain on the backburner. But without a healthy environment we will soon find we have nothing. We need to send a message. What better way than to catch,
convict and send some of these offenders - rich and poor - to jail.
-------
Well?
Here is an Observer EDITORIAL -
People should be jailed for poisoning rivers
Monday, May 07, 2007
The story 'Stop poisoning the rivers!' in yesterday's edition of the Sunday Observer should be a must- read for everyone.
It tells of how deliberate river poisoning is threatening the livelihood and health of residents in the picturesque Rio Grande Valley of Portland in north- eastern Jamaica. Simply put, rather than fishing in legal, time-honoured and conventional fashion, unscrupulous people are pouring poison into the water to speed up and maximise their catch.
We are told that hazardous chemicals such as the weed killer gramazone and bleach are being used to kill fish. The fact that fish killed in that manner could prove deadly for consumers and that the water - which is life for animals of every type including humans - is being poisoned, is apparently of no concern to the perpetrators. Ms Linnette Wilks, coordinator of the Bowden Pen Farmers Association in the Rio Grande Valley, said that "if the problem is not solved, then future generations may not know what a cray or a janga fish look like". She goes beyond that, to point out that the poisoned water and fish can trigger all sorts of illnesses in humans, leading even to death. This newspaper applauds efforts which apparently have the support of the community to launch education and awareness programmes, and to mobilise community members to monitor their waterways as well as "track and prosecute poisoning events".
We pray that the efforts are sustained and get the requisite support from government. We note a well-meaning comment by Ms Kimberly John of the Nature Conservancy agency, that crimes such as these are "hard to prosecute because it is done in secret". We agree that prosecution is probably difficult; we do not agree that it is a secret to many of those who live in the communities. Here is another case where well-thinking people need to be assertive and to take charge to protect themselves, their neighbours and the wider society.
Allied to that of course, the authorities, through the judiciary, the police, park monitors, wardens and all those with the authority to deal with environmental offences, must send the clear message that such behaviour will not be tolerated. For while it may come as a surprise to some, there are laws which are meant to punish those found guily of practices such as poisoning the waters of the Rio Grande. Under the Wildlife Protection Act of 1945 which was amended in 1998 for example, individuals and company directors found guilty of deliberately placing hazardous materials, including industrial waste, into rivers and waterways can be subject to a fine of $100,000 and/or a year in prison. And the Natural Resources Regulations (1993) stipulates a fine of $10,000 or imprisonment for two years. Of course, the problem is not confined to the Rio Grande Valley, nor is it new.
For years there have been complaints about fishermen in our coastal waters who use hazardous material including dynamite to kill fish.
And in recent weeks there have been reports of fish kills in the Black River, caused, it is believed, by waste from the sugar/rum industry. In a society with so many problems it is easy for environmental protection to remain on the backburner. But without a healthy environment we will soon find we have nothing. We need to send a message. What better way than to catch,
convict and send some of these offenders - rich and poor - to jail.
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