LINSTEAD, St. Catherine:
RESIDENTS Of Bog Walk, Jew Pen, and environs in East Central St. Catherine blocked the road on Friday to protest against the dumping of coffee pulp from the coffee factory at Bog Walk into the Rio Cobre river.
Residents told The Gleaner that the dumping had been taking place for sometime and that repeated calls to the Coffee Board had fallen on deaf ears.
Mabel Granun, a senior citizen, noted that the river was their only source of water and that often there was no running water in their taps.
Another resident, Raymond Stredwick, added that many householders do not take the time to boil their drinking water as they should, therefore dumping coffee pulp into the river was a serious environmental problem as well as a health hazard.
A supervisor at the head offices of the Coffee Industry Board, Mr. Michael Cummings, who is responsible for the Bog Walk factory, said it would be difficult to think that any reputable company such as the Coffee Industry Board could allow the pollution of the Rio Cobre.
He added that the dumping may be accidental and assured residents that immediate steps would be taken to correct the problem and to prevent a repeat.
The Bog Walk police which cleared Friday's roadblock, are reminding residents that blocking the road is illegal and those caught can be prosecuted.
