The Coastal Water Quality Improvement Project in the Ministry of Land and Environment is to receive $26.4 million to, among other things, develop small scale sanitation technologies, strengthen management capability of national and local level coordinators and implement an organisational capacity building strategy as well as develop national water quality standards.

The sum, which has been allocated in the 2004/05 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives, will also finance the promulgation of water quality standards; the Parish Council Environmental Services Capacity Strengthening Programme, and the establishment of the Community Environmental Services Programme.

Jointly funded by the Government of Jamaica and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), the project has a number of objectives, including, fully establishing the Blue Flag Pilot programme for beaches and marinas in Jamaica; heightening awareness among residents concerning better and acceptable environmental practices and greater buy-in or appropriate techniques; and assisting community based organisations and civic groups in relating to and being active participants in activities and programmes spearheaded by the Portland Parish Council.

The project is also aimed at preparing implementation for the National Water Quality Monitoring programme with demonstrated capability within the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to manage the programme and implement some of its activities, including water quality monitoring in support of the Blue Flag certification programme and dissemination of water quality data.
Up to September last year, the Project had created a local governance structure for stream belt management along the Annotto River (St. Mary); designed a flood mitigation and solid waste management plan for Boundbrook and West Harbour (Portland) and introduced key activities leading to the Blue Flag certification of marinas.