The movement of 700,000 tonnes of bauxite by Jamalco from its Mile Gully mines in Manchester to its refinery in St Jago, Clarendon, set to start November 2, is to provide jobs in the communities being affected, The Gleaner has been told by the company.
The exercise is to last approximately 18 months, up to May 2011, and while it is unclear what jobs will be made available, Leo Lambert, manager, corporate services and government affairs at Jamalco, said, "We are committed to ensuring that as much economic benefits as possible flow to the communities during the period of bauxite haulage and have already devised a system that will see specific jobs being made available to them on a rotating basis".
The statement means more good news for the bauxite sector, following the announcement of increased production levels at St Ann Jamaica Bauxite earlier this year, which resulted in workers returning to full work schedules.
In the case of Jamalco, though, despite the amount of bauxite being transported, there has been no announcement of an increase in production.
Peak production
"The refinery has been averaging peak production of 4,050 tonnes of digester output for most of this year. The 700,000 tonnes of bauxite represents inventory from exploratory mining that was done in north Manchester in 2007. It is required not to increase, but to sustain the current peak production at the refinery," Lambert explained.
The bauxite will be trucked from Mile Gully to Williamsfield, then on to the old Melrose road, and eventually to Jamalco's loading station in St Jago.
From there it will be transported by rail to the refinery at Halse Hall.
But the trucking is to be done under tough guidelines set out by the relevant agencies.
In a newspaper advertisement, Jamalco says the movement will be done in strict compliance with rules and guidelines set out by the National Environment and Planning Agency, Jamaica Bauxite Institute, police in both parishes and by its own environmental health safety standards.
In detailing the guidelines, Lambert explained that each truck has to be covered with tarpaulin and the wheels were to be washed to remove any bauxite residue before departing.
Also, trucks are required to leave at intervals of 15 minutes to avoid developing convoys on the road.
As the movement of the bauxite will be done during the night from 7 p.m. to 6 a.m., trucks being used must meet specified safety and maintenance standards, including having proper reflective lighting for high visibility.
"Senior supervisory personnel from Jamalco will also police the route to ensure that there is strict compliance with the guidelines," Lambert said.
Already, community sensitisation sessions have started. According to Lambert, there have been two major community meetings, and residents have received individual letters advising of the pending activity.
Brochures and flyers have also been distributed and posted at strategic places in some communities.