Matthew Samuda, minister of water, climate change and the environment, has described backyard pit latrines in high water-table communities as among the greatest environmental risks to Jamaica’s groundwater supply.

Speaking at Friday’s Rotaract Nexus 360 District 7020 Conference in Trelawny, Samuda cautioned against the practice. Though largely absent from public debate, pit latrines pose a serious long-term threat to water security, public health, and national development, he argued.

“Jamaica’s water table, especially along the south coast and in towns like Falmouth and Port Maria, is particularly high. Backyard pits significantly increase nitrate leakage into groundwater, making it unusable. This creates enormous pressure in an age of climate change, where reduced water availability is already a reality,” Samuda explained.