Windalco 2019 Rio Cobre fish kill case pushed back to September

Today’s continuation of the case against bauxite mining company Windalco, which is before the St Catherine Parish Court regarding a 2019 fish kill in the Rio Cobre, was postponed due to the unavailability of an attorney in the case.

When the matter was called up, the court was informed that the company’s lawyer Jacqueline Samuels-Brown KC was absent.

The case was pushed back to September 11.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions today tendered additional information in the case.

Assistant Director of Public Prosecutions Dwayne Green said the office has done checks on the case-file from National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA), which took Windalco to court.

Green said the office determined that further documentation is required for the trial.

Disclosure should be made to the defence by June 30.

Allegations before the court are that in 2019, effluent from Windalco escaped into the Rio Cobre, causing a massive fish kill and damage to other aquatic organisms.

Residents of Kent Village and surrounding areas were reportedly adversely affected by the discharge of the raw effluent into the river.

NEPA conducted an investigation and subsequently served an enforcement notice on the company.

It was later summoned to court for breaches of the Wildlife Protection Act.

- Rasbert Turner

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