CONCRETE THREAT

LEADING construction industry representative Richard Mullings has called for tougher enforcement of Jamaica’s development regulations, warning that builders cannot continue paving over land to maximise profits while complaining about inadequate water supplies to support their projects. Mullings, who sits as president of the Incorporated Masterbuilders Association of Jamaica, delivered the pointed criticism during a Jamaica Developers Association (JDA) webinar on Thursday, pushing back against an appeal by the National Water Commission (NWC) for developers to preserve areas where rainwater can soak into the ground and replenish underground reserves. He argued that appeals to developers’ goodwill would accomplish little in an industry driven by commercial interests, insisting that government regulators must do more to enforce standards designed to protect the country’s water resources.

“I don’t believe in just encouragement and well wishes when it comes to things that have to do with profit,” he said. His comments followed a presentation by NWC Assistant Vice-President for Systems Planning and Water Resource Development Ian Bennett, who warned that the increasing coverage of land with concrete and other impermeable surfaces was restricting the natural replenishment of groundwater, particularly in Kingston and St Andrew. Bennett’s concern centred on the Liguanea aquifer, a vast underground water resource beneath the Corporate Area that could play a greater role in securing the capital’s water supply but whose potential is already being undermined by contamination. Presenting findings from the Water Resources Authority identifying potential natural aquifer recharge sites across Jamaica, Bennett urged developers to adhere to existing permeability requirements, which are…