Riverton Community residents express thanks during UNCT tour

The members of the UNCT in Jamaica toured the pioneering road project now underway, in the Riverton City Landfill in downtown Kingston, home to almost 3,000 Jamaicans. Community members have been directly employed in the rehabilitation of the access road to the Riverton disposal site, resulting in economic benefits to their families. They now actively participate in the environmental upgrade to their community, as they seek to enhance the quality of their lives and reduce their exposure to health and safety hazards.

The Riverton City project was launched in November 2015, by the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development, with grant funding of US$1.8 million from the Mexican Government. The rehabilitation work involves the installation of a drainage system and the construction of a two-kilometre concrete roadway, to and from, the disposal site. Specifically, the project will focus on the Riverton Road between Spanish Town Road and the Riverton City Landfill, with September 2016, being the scheduled completion date.

The project is being implemented by the United Nations Office of Project Services (UNOPS) in Jamaica, under the leadership of UNOPS Project Manager, Mr. Manoel NORONHA.

Over the years, the Riverton community has been plagued by disruptive fires and the environment has been extremely challenging to residents and truckers, since it becomes a swamp in the wet season and is too dusty and bumpy in the dry season. This has negatively impacted economic livelihoods and hindered the efficiency of waste management activities. On a daily basis, the roadway is used by hundreds of heavyweight trucks, as they transport Kingston’s solid waste and other refuse to the Riverton Landfill.