Carolyn Cooper | Housing Agency blackmailing protesters

Blackmail is one of those words I don’t like to use because it seems racist. The colour black usually has negative meanings in words like blacklist, blackheart, blackguard, blackball, and so on. But the origin of blackmail has nothing to do with black and white racial politics. In the 16th century, it referred to payment made to Scottish chiefs in return for protection from raids. A classic case of white-on-white crime! Blackmail was paid in labour or goods. Whitemail was paid in silver.

In the case of the Housing Agency of Jamaica (HAJ), blackmail is entirely applicable. The HAJ is dead set on turning protected lands on Long Mountain, directly across from the Mona Reservoir, into housing for uptown clients. The agency’s slogan is ‘Building Jamaica. One community at a time’. But, in this instance, the HAJ seems to be bent on destroying approximately 20.7 acres of public open space, one tree at a time.

The HAJ is a self-funded agency and is desperately trying to raise money to finance its housing projects across the island. The sale of 50 quarter-acre lots on Long Mountain would bring a considerable sum of money into the coffers of the HAJ. But at what cost to the environment? Last week, I called the agency to find out the selling price of the lots. The final figure has not yet been decided. Whatever it is, it cannot be worth it.

ONE HELL OF A STENCH

How did the HAJ acquire 91 acres of supposedly protected lands? The Long Mountain range is the primary watershed for the Mona Reservoir. The entire city of Kingston and its environs would suffer if the reservoir becomes contaminated. In 2000, an environmental impact assessment (EIA) was done for the HAJ project. It predicted that:

“Additional stormwater will be discharged into existing drainage channels to increase erosion on the lower slopes facing the reservoir, particularly where the extensively fractured and fragmented rock is loosely attached to the fine-grain matrix and, therefore, highly erodible. From field observations, there are a number of drainage channels on the lower slope that are capable of carrying stormwater laden with sediments directly into the reservoir during periods of high rainfall.”

The assessment noted the effect of uneven development on sewage: “The situation may be created where a small number of houses in a remote location of the site will not offer sufficient sewage outflow even at peak flows for the sewer pipes to be self-cleaning. The expected solids consisting of faeces, paper, condoms and other disposal materials may not have sufficient water for transport to the lift station.” The result would be one hell of a stench.

NO FAITH IN NEPA

Almost 20 years later, the HAJ is still planning to sell off protected lands, in spite of the risks to the reservoir. Residents of the adjacent communities of Pines of Karachi, Long Mountain Country Club, and Beverly Hills have long been protesting vigorously against the development and have been able to stall the project. But it looks as if story come to bump.

In July, the HAJ called a meeting of citizens whose communities would be impacted by the proposed development. We were shown a lovely PowerPoint presentation that announced “environmental impact assessment completed to the satisfaction of NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency) and environmental permit granted by NEPA (renewed March 2018)”.

I have absolutely no faith in NEPA, as its “satisfaction” is no guarantee of the viability of any project. We have seen over and over again that NEPA cannot be depended on to make objective assessments. It seems as if powerful business interests, in collusion with greedy politicians, often determine the result of EIAs.

NO LOGICAL ANSWER

The PowerPoint presentation stated that the remaining 71 acres owned by HAJ are to “remain undeveloped to be used as public open space/nature reserve”. It also revealed that these 71 acres are next to “an additional 136 acres of public lands to remain undeveloped”. Why are some acres protected and not others? There is no logical answer to that question.

I suspect that the additional 71 acres owned by HAJ, which are just across the road from their 20.7 acres, could soon be turned into even more house spots if the right pressure is applied. And it wouldn’t matter because there would still be 136 acres of undeveloped land close by. But, for how long?

At the meeting, we were told that if we continue to object to HAJ’s proposed development, the agency could sell the lots to private developers. We would have no control over how the land was used. There could be high-density apartment buildings, for example. This was clearly blackmail! We did not fall for it. We continued to protest.

The proposed development is going to Cabinet for approval. It should be denied. Protected lands should be immediately taken from the HAJ, once and for all. We must demand accountability on the part of politicians who are supposed to preserve the collective heritage of the entire nation. Not sell us out!

- Carolyn Cooper, PhD, is a specialist on culture and development. Email feedback to columns@gleanerjm.com and karokupa@gmail.com.