Jamaica: Macro-Socio-Economic and Environmental Assessment of ...

Erosion within the coastal zone of the Roselle areas has been taking place for some time and the
passage of several hurricanes over the past 20 years has contributed to the virtual disappearance
of what was once a fairly extensive recreational beach anchored by coastal structures.
b) The receiving environment
The island’s geology, topography and drainage patterns have influenced the response to the
elements of hurricane Ivan. The areas most affected by the hurricane fall into four categories viz.
coastal zone, hilly interior, solution depressions, and drainage network. They are discussed
below.
The coastal zone. Jamaica’s continental shelf is most extensive on the south coast and
the floor (bathymetry) of coastal waters is characterized by shoals, “fishing banks”, cays, patch
reefs, and seagrass beds. Several large rivers drain sediment-laden runoff to the coastal waters
along the eastern, central and western sections of the coast, and extensive floodplains coalesce
from Kingston through St Catherine and Clarendon. The extensive wetlands of the Black River
Morass and the floodplain of the Cabaritta River in St Elizabeth and Westmoreland, respectively,
add to the features, which have interacted with the passage of Hurricane Ivan. Distinctive coastal
landforms and ecosystems also include the Palisadoes peninsula, the Portland Bight peninsula,
embayments, and sandy and shingle beaches.
The hilly interior. The interior of the island is characterized by steep well-weathered
slopes, highly fractured geological formations and well-developed networks of rivers and gullies
draining north and south from a central east-west trending rugged mountainous axis. Limestone
is the dominant lithology and weathering has created distinctive topographic forms and
hydrogeology. Solution basins and high water tables reflect subterranean drainage mechanisms,
which play a major role in the hydrological and hydrogeological response to extreme rainfall
events. Intense slope failure during Ivan was associated with the distinctive geological zones of
the Wagwater Belt (east), the Central Inlier, and the Hanover Block, each with well-weathered,
highly fractured lithologies.
Solution depressions. These widely occurring depressions are characteristic of Jamaica’s
limestone topography and they accommodate extensive farming activities and interior
settlements. They are drained through sinkholes and become inundated when floodwaters
exceed the capacity for drainage. Aenon Town/ Cave Valley, Bog Hole, Bigwoods/Newell,
Lluidas Vale-Worthy Park, are some of the areas identified with extensive losses to agriculture,
housing and household effects.
Drainage network. Surface as well as groundwater flows characterize the drainage
network of springs, sinkholes, rivers and gullies, and the aquifers add to the distinctive
hydrology and hydrogeology of Jamaica.
a) Damage
2. The impact of the hurricane
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