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 intended to ensure that sufficient land remains available to absorb rainfall.

He cautioned that when too much land is paved over, rainwater that could otherwise replenish underground reserves instead runs off towards the sea.

“We still have that vast water resource which is available to us, but it simply runs off to the sea because there’s very little permeability,” Bennett told participants.

The NWC official warned that failure to preserve natural recharge areas could eventually force the authorities to invest more heavily in artificial aquifer recharge, a process through which water is deliberately directed underground to replenish depleted reserves.

Bennett pointed to artificial recharge already being undertaken in St Catherine, but said adopting similar measures more widely in Kingston and St Andrew would be considerably more expensive than protecting the land’s natural ability to absorb rainfall.

“If we are to resort to that, it means it’s going to be really costly. It is going to be reasonably effective, but not as effective as if the Kingston and St Andrew basin were able to take on this percolation job naturally,” he said.

However, Mullings was particularly critical of the suggestion that developers should simply be encouraged to preserve permeable surfaces, arguing that stronger regulatory oversight was necessary to counter the commercial pressures to maximise building density, parking spaces, and returns on investment.

He challenged his own industry to recognise the contradiction between demanding reliable water supplies for new developments while pursuing building practices that could compromise the very resources needed to provide that water.

“We as developers, now we’re going to bawl and complain about the availability of water to be able to do our developments and make profit. And then, on the other hand, we’re going to try and pave as much surface area to sell as much, get as much parking spaces to maximise our density. We can’t have both,” he said.

MULLINGS… urged developers to adhere to existing permeability requirements, which are intended to ensure that sufficient land remains available to absorb rainfall

“It’s unrealistic to think that in a competitive environment we are going to just do things on purely social or altruistic motives. The Government, the governance system, the regulators have a critical role to enforce,” Mullings argued.

He maintained that the responsibility could not rest solely with developers, particularly where complying with environmental requirements might mean sacrificing commercially valuable space.

Mullings warned that failures in oversight were also contributing to public resistance to construction projects in communities across Jamaica.

His intervention comes amid continued residential and commercial development in Kingston and St Andrew, where pressure to maximise the use of increasingly valuable land has resulted in greater demand for high-density buildings and associated infrastructure.

Contamination compounds problem

Adding to the challenge is the longstanding contamination of the Liguanea aquifer, where inadequate sewage disposal has compromised groundwater that could otherwise help meet Kingston’s water needs.

During the webinar, questions were raised about households that continue to rely on septic tanks and sewage pits despite public sewerage infrastructure being available in their communities.

The concern is that sewage entering the ground contributes to elevated nitrate levels, limiting the amount of groundwater that can safely be extracted for drinking.

The problem has already affected the capital’s water supply. In March this year, Water Minister Matthew Samuda disclosed that eight major wells in Kingston and St Andrew, with combined production potential exceeding two million gallons daily, could not be used because of contamination linked to backyard sewage disposal systems.

The NWC is now looking to recover some of that potential.

During Thursday’s webinar, Garth Jackson, the utility’s vice-president for engineering and capital projects, disclosed that work was under way to redevelop a well in the Liguanea aquifer where nitrate levels were not high, with the project intended to serve as a pilot for broader groundwater development.

He explained that any major expansion of groundwater extraction would depend on efforts to address contamination and better understand how water moves through the aquifer.

“We believe we can use that as a pilot to do the broader development of the aquifer. But it really is dependent on the aquifer being cleaned up and identifying the flows through the aquifer in order to decide where it’s best to develop groundwater resources,” Jackson said.

He indicated that while groundwater wells form an important part of the NWC’s water supply network, much of that reliance is currently outside the Kingston and St Andrew metropolitan area.

The National Water Commission has warned that failure to preserve natural recharge areas could eventually force the authorities to invest more heavily in artificial aquifer recharge, a process through which water is deliberately directed underground to replenish depleted reserves.

The discussion comes as residents of the Corporate Area continue to grapple with water restrictions despite recent rainfall.

Dr Philippa Campbell-Francis, the NWC’s acting vice-president of operations, disclosed that Mona reservoir was at 43 per cent of capacity and Hermitage dam at 54 per cent, levels that remained insufficient to lift restrictions.

Although the number of water supply systems affected by drought islandwide had declined from 107 to 91, she said the recent rainfall had not provided enough relief to restore normal service in Kingston and St Andrew. The utility was therefore continuing to regulate supply while attempting to rebuild storage levels ahead of the coming dry months.

Costly sewer connections

Restoring the capital’s groundwater reserves, however, will require more than protecting land from excessive paving.

The NWC is also confronting the challenge of getting existing households connected to public sewerage systems, particularly where the cost of establishing a connection has discouraged property owners from abandoning septic tanks and sewage pits.

During the webinar, questions were raised about households located near sewerage infrastructure that are already being billed for sewerage services despite continuing to use private sewage disposal facilities.

Jackson explained that customers located within the prescribed distance of an available sewerage network can be billed for the service, even if they have not physically connected their properties.

He acknowledged, however, that the cost of connecting to the network can be substantial and said the NWC was examining ways to make the process more affordable.

One possibility is to allow homeowners to pay connection costs over several years through their utility bills. The commission is also exploring whether grants or loans could be secured to assist property owners.

Increasing the number of households connected to public sewerage systems could help reduce the contamination of groundwater from septic tanks and soak-away pits, improving the prospects for bringing additional wells into service.

But the infrastructure challenges extend to new developments, where builders have complained about being required to finance sewerage works that would otherwise form part of the public network.

Mullings argued that such requirements add to construction costs and place affordable housing projects at a particular disadvantage.

“Nobody who is trying to build units that are making marginal profit can afford to engage in performing the work for the utility and installing a sewer system. It favours the higher end units,” he said.

The NWC, meanwhile, estimates that approximately $25.7 billion is needed annually to replace ageing infrastructure and upgrade its water supply systems, illustrating the scale of investment required to accommodate future developments while maintaining services to existing customers.