Portland Clean-Up Underway
By: , June 5, 2016The Key Point:
Photo: Yhomo Hutchinson
Local Government Minister, Desmond McKenzie, removing debris on a street as part of a clean-up campaign earlier this year.The Facts
- The eight-day exercise, which commenced on Saturday, June 4, in the parish capital, Port Antonio, will entail the cleaning of drains, gullies and waterways, among other activities, in nearly 50 communities.
- The Portland clean-up campaign follows a similar exercise which was conducted in St. James in April.
The Full Story
The second leg of the Ministry of Local Government and Community Development’s parish clean-up campaign is now underway in Portland.
The eight-day exercise, which commenced on Saturday, June 4, in the parish capital, Port Antonio, will entail the cleaning of drains, gullies and waterways, among other activities, in nearly 50 communities.
Among the areas to which special work teams will be dispatched are communities in and around: Buff Bay, Hope Bay, Long Bay, Manchioneal, Millbank, Norwich, Port Antonio, Spring Hill and St. Margaret’s Bay.
The initiative is being carried out under phase one of a special Government mitigation programme, and is deemed pivotal in eliminating mosquito breeding sites thereby reducing the spread of diseases, such as the Zika virus.
It is also expected to significantly reduce the risk of flooding in several communities, consequent on heavy rainfall anticipated during the six-month 2016 hurricane season, which commenced on June 1.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, who outlined the details during a town hall meeting at the Tim Bamboo Hotel in Port Antonio on June 2.
He said the communities were selected following assessments jointly conducted by the Ministry of Health and Social Development Commission (SDC).
The Portland clean-up campaign follows a similar exercise which was conducted in St. James in April.