THE National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) says it is intensifying efforts to safeguard the Rio Cobre following the recent derailment of a bauxite train that resulted in three coaches ending up in the river.

According to NEPA’s Senior Manager for Environmental Management and Conservation Richard Nelson, the incident highlights the importance of the No Discharge Policy which has been in place since 2013 to address industrial and commercial pollution in the river.

“The Rio Cobre is the most important river in St Catherine, and while it provides water for irrigation, domestic supply, recreation, and livelihoods, it is also heavily industrialised. Over the years we have seen incidents of fish kills and elevated pH levels that threaten the river’s many uses. The recent train accident underscores why strong measures are needed to prevent further contamination,” Nelson said, during a recent Jamaica Information Service (JIS) Think Tank.

Nelson noted that while the Wastewater and Sludge Regulations (2013) allow facilities to discharge into rivers once standards are met, compliance challenges and operational failures at some waste water plants have led to untreated effluent entering the Rio Cobre.

The No Discharge Policy seeks to minimise these impacts by requiring facilities to adopt alternative treatment and disposal methods.

“We would rather work with facilities to prevent pollution than enforce after the damage has been done,” Nelson told JIS News.

“Our aim is to ensure that industries, small businesses, and farming communities adopt practices that protect the river, because what we do today impacts our future generations,” he said.

To intensify its efforts, NEPA said it has already installed signage and developed a community-based early warning system along the river, supported by trained residents who can report pollution incidents directly to the agency using mobile technology.

The agency said it has also engaged key stakeholders, including the National Irrigation Commission, National Water Commission, Ministry of Health and Wellness, and Ministry of Agriculture and Fisheries, to create a coordinated water quality monitoring programme.

Additionally, in March 2025 NEPA established the Jamaica Coastal Area Management and River-based Unit, which is tasked with enforcing regulations, monitoring rivers and coastal areas, and working with industries and communities to prevent pollution before it occurs.

Nelson further noted that the agency is also addressing non-point sources of pollution — such as agricultural run-off and animal waste entering tributaries — by partnering with farmers to encourage better practices in land use and animal husbandry.

He stressed that protecting Jamaica’s water resources requires collective action.

“It cannot be Government alone. It cannot be NEPA alone. We need the support of everyone — industries, small businesses, farmers, and communities. Together, we must protect the Rio Cobre and all our rivers to secure water for generations to come,” he said.

— JIS