PM, MINISTER, MAYOR TOUR GULLIES/DRAINS IN CORPORATE AREA

PM Bruce Golding (2nd from right), ponders the state of a drain while on tour of drains and gullies in the Corporate Area recently. Others in the picture are from left to right: State Minister Joseph Hibbert, a member of the JCF, Minister L. Mike Henry and Mayor Desmond Mckenzie.

Prime Minister Bruce Golding, accompanied by Minister L. Michael Henry, Mayor Desmond McKenzie and other stakeholders from the NWA and the works fraternity toured gullies and drains in various areas of the Corporate Area on Friday, October 19, 2007

The first stop was at Tinson Pen where there have been recent reports of flooding. This was followed by a tour of the Duhaney/New Haven area. There, officials were able to glean first hand experience of the flooding associated with the Duhaney River. Waterworks was the next stop and this was followed by the final stop of Roehampton Drive.

Following the tour, Prime Minister Bruce Golding instructed the National Works Agency to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Corporate Area's drainage system. While addressing journalists and other persons on the tour, the PM said, 'repair work will have to be undertaken as a matter of urgency within the financial constraints to repair the breaches, especially where private dwellings were threatened.'

Prime Minister Golding said that while the drainage network laid down under Sir Alexander Bustamante more than 50 years ago had served the Corporate Area well, it has not been maintained with diligence with which it should thus leading to structural failures.

The PM noted that the results of the comprehensive analysis would help to determine what is to be done over time to carry out rehabilitative maintenance and put in place a routine maintenance regime. PM Golding explained that the undertaking would be expensive, but that the Government would have to seek multi-lateral funding.

As it relates to Marcus Garvey Drive, which floods on many occasions when it rains, the PM said that several measures were being looked at to arrive at a permanent fix for that busy road corridor.