Existing buried drainage system in Catherine Hall, MoBay to be abandoned

Technical assessments reveal this was cause of flooding there during Hurricane Melissa

Durrant Pate/Contributor

The existing buried drainage system in Catherine Hall, Montego Bay is set to be abandoned based on the recommendations of the proposed Catherine Hall Drainage Concept Plan.

This buried drainage system has been found to be a factor in last year’s flooding in Catherine Hall during Hurricane Melissa on October 28 last year. In fact, technical assessments carried out after the hurricane confirmed that the flooding experienced in Catherine Hall was not the result of a simple or isolated drain failure. 

It was found to be the result of an extreme, multi-hazard event, namely intense rainfall, unprecedented flows in the Montego River, storm surge effects, sediment movement, debris accumulation, and the limitations of an ageing buried drainage system.

The assessment findings, which were shared by Works Minister, Robert Morgan, during his Sectoral Debate presentation in parliament yesterday, showed that rainfall exceeded 350 millimetres within 24 hours, with peak intensities reaching approximately 295 millimetres per hour. 

It also found that the Montego River recorded peak flows estimated between 2,132 and 2,653 cubic metres per second, consistent with a 500-year return period event. Those flows exceeded the design capacity of the Barnett Street Bridge by approximately 1,200 to 1,600 per cent.

”That is the scale of the climate reality we are now confronting,” Minister Morgan reported, noting that the proposed Catherine Hall Drainage Concept Plan was developed in response.

The plan recommends a strategic transition from the existing buried drainage system to a surface-level lined concrete channel system. This approach is intended to increase conveyance capacity, make maintenance easier, improve performance in flat terrain, and reduce the risk that sediment and debris will render the system ineffective again.

Importantly, the proposed system is being developed in the context of the wider Montego River Flood Control Plan and is designed to preserve the existing levee system, with controlled discharge points and backflow prevention measures.