PM Says as Communities Undergo Development the Environment Must Be Protected

Prime Minister, Dr. the Most Hon. Andrew Holness, has underscored the importance of environmental stewardship as communities undergo development.

Speaking at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Myton Gully Drainage Improvement Project in Old Harbour, St. Catherine, on Tuesday (June 10), Dr. Holness maintained that as communities continue to develop, the environment must be protected for present and future generations.

“We all have to start to think about how we protect the environment, not just for our personal convenience but how do we protect the environment for the benefit of the community, but more than that, for the benefit of generations yet to come. It is a duty that each and every one of us here has,” he urged.

Dr. Holness said that one of the reasons for flooding was that as development took place and more homes and businesses were built, the single-box culvert of the Myton Gully drainage system became insufficient to handle the volume of water and waste that came from the community and would often be blocked.

The single-cell culvert has been widened to four cells, and the base of the water channel was refurbished and replaced with concrete, resulting in better accommodation for water and waste to run through, without causing a blockage.

The project was completed in collaboration with the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) and World Bank, under the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP) at a cost of $326 million.

The mandate of the DVRP is to improve the quality of life in communities across Jamaica where people are vulnerable to natural disasters, and Myton Gully met the criteria, as it was prone to major flooding, resulting in residents being marooned during periods of heavy rainfall.

Meanwhile, Managing Director of JSIF, Omar Sweeney, pointed out that the project was completed ahead of the devastating Hurricane Beryl and the subsequent period of heavy rainfall, resulting in the Myton Gully community being spared the usual flooding.

“That (flooding) inconvenience was removed. [However] there was some inconvenience but we will continue the work to continue to solve the problems,” Mr. Sweeney said.

The project is expected to improve the lives of more than 38,000 residents in Myton Gully and other surrounding areas.

Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South Western, Everald Warmington, welcomed the completion of the project and the improvement it will bring to the community.

He warned community members that as more drainage work continues in the area, those who live on the bank of the gully will need to relocate.

“I understand that the entire project will be similar to what we have at the Sandy Gully. The only problem we have is that a lot of our citizens that have built shops and business places on the riverbank are going to be in trouble. I hope that those that live on the gully bank will start relocating and allow us to deal with the problem,” Mr. Warmington urged.