KINGSTON, Jamaica — The Airports Authority of Jamaica (AAJ) is refuting claims that the 300-metre Westward Extension of the Norman Manley International Airport (NMIA) runway is the cause of seawater ingress or increased water levels in Port Royal.

This follows concerns raised by Member of Parliament for Kingston East and Port Royal Phillip Paulwell surrounding what he described as inadequate consultation surrounding the development project at the NMIA. Paulwell said the issue was particularly concerning as Port Royal has recently experienced flooding during high tides, with seawater now invading sections of the roadway.

READ: WATCH: Paulwell raises concerns over airport runway expansion

But AAJ in a press release Friday said the ongoing project has benefited from extensive engineering, environmental and hydrodynamic studies and investigations over several years prior to the commencement of its execution, as well as regulatory reviews by the relevant Jamaican authorities, including the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), to ensure its non-interference with human interests along the coast.

“It is well known that seawater ingress into Port Royal is not a new phenomenon and has been occurring well before the commencement of the NMIA runway extension project. Consequently,
it ought not to be associated with the current runway extension works at NMIA. The structures, works and provisioning for this project does not obstruct, inhibit or interfere with the flow/movement of sea water between any of the contiguous water bodies or with the open sea,” the AAJ said.

It further noted that the physical scale of the extension of the NMIA runway platform, compared to the size of Kingston Harbour also provides an important context.

The AAJ said the plan area of Kingston Harbour is approximately 18 square miles, while the plan area of the NMIA runway extension is only approximately 0.1 square miles or approximately 0.6 per cent of the total surface area of Kingston Harbour.

“Furthermore, the fill material used for constructing the runway platform is being acquired through dredging of the sea floor within Kingston Harbour near the runway extension site. Therefore, the
net water level in Kingston Harbour is reduced by this process instead of increasing as is being incorrectly purported,” the authority said.

The AAJ said it remains committed to addressing legitimate concerns through objective engineering evidence and established environmental and regulatory principles.