LOCAL GOVERNMENT MINISTRY TO ADDRESS COLLAPSED DRAIN IN TEXAS AVENUE, PORTMORE
KINGSTON, April 28 (JIS):
The Ministry of Local Government and Community Development is moving quickly to undertake drainage remediation in Texas Avenue in Portmore, St. Catherine, to address a collapsed channel wall, which is impacting several homes.
Portfolio Minister, Hon. Desmond McKenzie, gave the pledge during a site visit to the area on Tuesday (April 22).
He stopped at the home of Adrian Parnell, where he observed shifting floor tiles due to water from the collapsed drain running beneath the house.
Minister McKenzie said he had visited the area a couple years ago “because of the complaints of the residents about a drain that runs adjacent to the premises and now we’re discovering that it even probably is running underneath the building”.
He informed that a team was put together to rectify the issue, which he noted, requires a lot of engineering support.
Minister McKenzie said that investigations show that the drainage issues originate where the culvert begins in the neighbouring Arizona Avenue.
“It is compromised in many ways where the boundary walls [of Mr. Parnell’s house] were constructed on top of the drains. So, what it does, it brings unnecessary pressure and then these [drain] walls collapse and what we are seeing now is the result of the collapsing infrastructure that is now affecting the residents, and this gentleman here (Mr. Parnell) has been paying the price for it,” he pointed out.
He added that the Ministry will be funding the project to resolve the issue, and the procurement process is currently under way. He said he has asked that the process be expedited, noting that will take between four to six weeks.
“Once the procurement exercise has been concluded, then we will be working closely with the National Works Agency, the Portmore Municipal Corporation, and the Ministry to ensure that the project is done and done properly,” Mr. McKenzie declared.
He added that with the assistance of the NWA, a structural engineer will be asked to do an assessment of the affected house to see what damage has been done.
“Because, once we go in and do the work, then we want to be in a position that we are sure that there is nothing else that is going to be posing a challenge as it relates to the residents here,” the Minister said.
Assistant Parish Manager for St. Catherine, NWA, Courtney Mullings, noted that visual assessments indicated significant erosion due to the constant flow of water, which compromised the culverts.
However, he said a report from the structural engineer will provide a comprehensive understanding of the situation.
Mayor of Portmore, Leon Thomas, or his part, said there are other communities in the municipality with similar issues.
“We have several of these drains that run through premises such like Passage Fort, Independence City [and] Edgewater. These are some of the conditions of the drains and over the years, we have seen a lot of the sewage lines collapse because they were made from asbestos pipes, and they are giving way now. So, these structures within these communities, we know that they are getting bad but this is the worst one we ever really come up on, so we have to assess it properly,” Mayor Thomas said.
Councillor for the Independence City Division, Courtney Edwards, who represented Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South Eastern, Robert Miller, thanked Minister McKenzie for his intervention in the drainage issue.
Meanwhile, Minister McKenzie said that as the Government moves to make Portmore the 15th parish, increased focus will be placed on improving the physical infrastructure of the community to ensure that residents can live in comfort.
These include roads, water systems and drains, which fall under the Ministry’s jurisdiction.
“One of the things that we are going to be doing in moving Portmore forward as the 15th parish is to have a look at the physical infrastructure; the ones that fall under local government because communities like these were built decades ago and we are seeing changing conditions and people have invested a lot in these homes.
“It is going to be the responsibility of the Government to ensure that the infrastructure that takes away the water, the infrastructure that allows them to live in comfort is in good working condition,” Mr. McKenzie said.
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CONTACT: VANESSA JAMES
