Green Pond and North Gully Drains to be Repaired

Sections of the Green Pond and North Gully drains in the city of Montego Bay, St. James, are to be repaired.

Junior Works Minister, Hon. Richard Azan, who toured the areas on May 26, said he will be making representation to the Ministry of Finance for funding to be sourced and for the work to start soon.

“I will be having dialogue with the Technical people in my Ministry to discuss the projects, after which I will be meeting with the Minister of Finance to try and identify the funds. I will be pushing for the project to be undertaken as an emergency one,” he said, adding that the sum being sought is in the region of $25 million.

The State Minister said he inspected sections of the North Gully and is of the view that the culverts need to be replaced with bigger ones, in order to accommodate the large volume of water that runs through the areas.

“In addition, the Green Pond drain must be expanded to ensure that flooding is eliminated,” he added.

Two twin boys lost their lives recently in the Green Pond drain, when heavy rains flooded the area.

The State Minister also visited the Green Pond Primary school, which the brothers attended.

Minister Azan was accompanied on the tour by Member of Parliament for Central St. James and Deputy Speaker of the House, Lloyd B. Smith, as well as representatives of the National Works Agency (NWA).

Meanwhile, Mr. Smith expressed optimism that the projects would be undertaken very soon.

“I am very positive that the Government will be able to identify the $25 million which is needed to implement the projects. These are very important to Montego Bay as whenever there are heavy showers; sections of the city are flooded. I am thankful for the visit from the State Minister and will support every effort to ensure that once started, the work is done according to specifications and budget,” he said.