MORE THAN $70 million is to be spent in Tivoli Gardens, West Kingston, to provide sanitary conveniences for residents in the community.

Sandrea Falconer, the minister with responsibility for information, said Cabinet has approved a contract which is aimed at making living condition of residents more bearable.

"The work will include the demolition of structurally unsound sanitation blocks and the construction of 51 sanitation blocks. Each block will have a water closet and a window," Falconer said.

She told journalists at Wednesday's Jamaica House press briefing that the contract will also cover the connection of the new blocks to the existing sewer system.

"There is an urgent need to address the poor conditions under which residents live as, due to the run-off from the existing facilities, they have had to suffer with persistent bad odour and unhygienic conditions," Falconer said.

The project is being funded by a grant from the Caribbean Development Bank.