Rotary International, in collaboration with the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) has launched the Rotary Adopt a River initiative in Jamaica, focusing on the vital Rio Cobre and the wider ecosystem.

Through a collaborative effort, the Rotary clubs of Spanish Town, Portmore and North St Catherine are championing this cause, as part of the broader Rotary International and UNEP partnership, Community Action for Fresh Water (CAFW), aimed at protecting, restoring, and sustaining freshwater ecosystems globally to support sustainable community development. 

Rotary clubs have long been actively involved in initiatives to support Rio Cobre, such as beach and river cleanups, tree planting and other water and sanitation projects. However, this new Rotary and UNEP CAFW partnership provides a much wider framework for collaboration between all stakeholders and provides opportunities for even greater action on resolving problems surrounding this vital resource to Jamaica.

The Rio Cobre ecosystem encompasses areas in northern St. Catherine and plays a huge part in the livelihood of the citizens in the surrounding areas. The river ecosystem consists of catchment areas in northern St Catherine where rain falls, the water goes into underground aquifers and then passes through communities of Ewarton, Linstead, Bog Walk, Spanish Town and exits into the Caribbean sea at Portmore and its associated marine areas.

Targeted interest groups

Some targeted key stakeholder groups include community and farmer groups, environmental-minded citizens, local government agencies such as the St Catherine Municipal Corporation, National Environment and Planning Agency, National Water Commission, Water Resources Authority, National Irrigation Commission, Jamaica Environment Trust, friends of the Rio Cobre Community group and private entities such as Windalco, Trade Wind Citrus, Worth Park and Serge Island Diaries.

When it comes to the challenges being experienced, some of them include but are not limited to, a lack of sufficient water to support all activities such as domestic water supplies for communities in St Catherine and Kingston, agricultural irrigation and industry.

There are concerns about the quality of water supply as there is, pollution from industrial plants that often results in chemical spills entering the river and affecting life downstream, and destruction of fish for food sought by the communities along the river. 

Additionally, there is concern about solid human and plastic waste dumped into the Rio Cobre.  

Commenting on the initiative, Rotary Past Assistant Governor of Rotary District 7020, Michael Terrelonge remarked, “The Rio Cobre is not just a river; it’s a lifeline for our communities. We need to care for it like a precious child and preserve it for our future.  Through the Rotary Adopt a River programme, Rotary is taking a significant step towards ensuring its sustainability and addressing the pressing challenges faced by our communities. Rotary International is a global network of over 45,000 Rotary clubs with 1.4 million neighbours, we are friends, leaders, and problem-solvers and we see a world where people unite and take action to create lasting change – across the globe, in our communities, and in ourselves.”

Continuing, Terrelonge highlighted several stages in this expanded and deliberate process, advised and actively supported by both Rotary and UNEP noting that this launch event is the first step to begin the process of identifying and engaging various community and stakeholder groups to gather their perspectives on the issues and identify areas for further focus.

“In addition, the team will also be engaged in data gathering and engaging environmental consultants who can assist with collating the significant amount of various parts of the documentation that would form the technical/environmental basis for our community needs assessment and furthermore significant projects. A rigorous process of community engagement and needs assessment is being  done and this is enabled with support from The Rotary Foundation and Rotary District 7020.”

In conclusion, the Rotary past assistant governor declared, “We hope that through this programme we can encourage other Jamaicans to be more environmentally conscious, to adopt the river as one would do for something precious and fragile and take small steps towards making a change within their communities. Voluntary service and sustaining the environment are powerful forces and bigger than any one group or person, and none of us is as smart as all of us. It allows you to see a new perspective and be a part of something greater than yourself. This initiative is bigger than us, it’s a way to ensure a safer water source for generations to come.”