KSMC begins $23 million drain cleaning programme for hurricane season

The Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corporation has started the first phase of a multi-million-dollar drain cleaning programme as it readies for the Atlantic hurricane season and the likelihood of heavy rainfall. On Thursday, Mayor Andrew Swaby inspected several key drains and gullies along the coastline ahead of the work, which is meant to lower the risk of flooding.

In this opening phase, the municipality will clean 27 priority drains and gullies across nine municipal divisions at a cost of $23 million. The effort forms part of KSMC's broader flood-mitigation push as the season progresses.

Swaby said the corporation's investment will have limited effect if residents continue poor waste-disposal practices. He urged people in Kingston and St. Andrew to stop throwing bottles and other garbage into gullies and drains, and warned that debris from building activity can also be washed into the drainage network.

He said that kind of dumping does not only affect the immediate area where it happens, but can create problems for other communities when blocked waterways cause water to back up during periods of heavy rain. Swaby added that if citizens dispose of waste properly, KSMC and other local authorities would be able to spend less on repeated drain cleaning and more on parish development and road repairs.

The municipality is also concerned about illegal dumping by some contractors. Acting Chief Engineering Officer Yakini Beenie said construction waste is being discarded in drains and gullies, adding to blockages and increasing the danger of flooding. She said the issue affects all sectors of the Jamaican public and requires wider cooperation to address it.