WESTERN BUREAU — The St James Parish Council is scheduled to assume responsibility for the South Gully Drainage and Improvement Project on January 17, exactly two weeks after heavy rains in Montego Bay tested the recently completed US$14-million project.

The new drainage work was installed to minimise the risk of flooding, but last Thursday night, a number of business places along Creek Street were inundated when the gully overflowed.

However, secretary manager at the St James Parish Council, Christopher Powell, said the flooding occurred as a result of garbage dumped by residents surrounding the South Gully, which clogged the intake cells and prevented the water from flowing through it.

As a result, the council is calling on the Ministry of Land and Environment, the National Environment Protection Authority (NEPA), and the Montego Bay Marine Park to educate residents in the communities adjoining the gully about proper solid waste disposal practices.

The council is also urging Western Parks and Markets to pay special attention to garbage collection in these communities.

Western Parks and Markets is responsible for solid waste collection in the parish, but has had difficulty coping with the amount of garbage generated over the holidays. It appears that some of this waste ended up in the South Gully racks and contributed to last week’s flooding.

After the January 17 take over of the drainage project, the council said it planned to establish a municipal car park to utilise the surface area. This plan is among a list of proposals that were formulated for the use of space created by the project’s installation.

The National Works Agency (NWA), which designed and supervised the project, will be responsible for its maintenance, even after it has been taken over by the council.