SFD (Lite) Report - Saint Mary, Jamaica

Saint Mary is a rural parish located on the Caribbean island of Jamaica. The geographical coordinates of Saint Mary are latitude 18°09' north and longitude 77°03' west. Saint Mary is the fifth smallest parish on the island and its capital is Port Maria. The parish is located on the north eastern coast of the island and has an area of 611.3 km2. Jamaica is divided into three counties namely Cornwall, Middlesex and Surrey. Saint Mary is situated in the county of Middlesex and is separated into three constituencies; specifically Western, Central and South Western Saint Mary.

As per the population and housing census conducted by the statistical institute of Jamaica (STATIN) 2011, Saint Mary had a population of 113,615 persons living in 36,530 dwelling with an average of 3.1 persons per household6.
According to STATIN post censual data collected in 2019, the total population increased to 115,090 (based on the number of births and deaths that occurred during that period.

The SFD matrix was used to generate the SFD graphic. It was recognised that 98% of the excreta and wastewater (WW) is classified as safely managed while the remaining 2% is classified as unsafely managed. The safely managed excreta comprises 1% wastewater from the sewer system which is delivered to treatment and treated, 2% faecal sludge from septic tanks which is delivered to treatment and treated, and 94% faecal sludge in pits of various types, which are not emptied but safely abandoned, covered and replaced when full. While the latter method is considered safe (assuming groundwater used for drinking is not polluted), it is only safe while there is space for households to cover old pits and replace with new ones. In areas where housing density is increasing, alternative safe solutions will need to be found that may include safe emptying, transport and treatment before reuse or disposal.

Bibliographic information

(2022). SFD (Lite) Report - Saint Mary, Jamaica. CSE, GWP-Caribbean + GE

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