$100 million earmarked for flood mitigation works

The Government has earmarked $100 million for the cleaning of drains and clearing of verges across Jamaica.

The National Works Agency (NWA) says the activities form part of the first phase of national preparations for the 2021 North Atlantic Hurricane season.

The works will be carried out by the NWA through its parish teams and are slated to commence shortly.

Manager, Communication and Customer at the NWA, Stephen Shaw, says the programme of works is currently being finalised and will target critical drains located in flood-prone areas in various communities islandwide.

This is the first of three planned flood mitigation programmes of works that will be carried out by the agency over the next six months in relation to the current hurricane season.

Shaw says that the programme augments some of the works undertaken over the last six months, during which roads and drains have been rehabilitated under the Secondary Roads Programme.

The NWA indicated that over $3 billion were spent during the last fiscal year, which ended in March, under the Secondary Roads Programme, which targeted main and community roads.

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