WITH two months still to go to the end of the 2005 hurricane season, in excess of $19 million has been spent by the Kingston and St Andrew Corporation (KSAC), so far, to clean drains and gullies.

In the meantime, a number of private sector companies have been signing on to contribute to keeping the waterways clear, Mayor Desmond McKenzie said yesterday.

He said that an additional $13 million would be spent in the final phase of the programme.

At a function at which Petrojam handed over a cheque for $2 million as its contribution to the KSAC’s Disaster Preparation Programme, McKenzie, in thanking the company, said that the donation was an endorsement of the work of the KSAC.

He said that the National Commercial Bank has also contributed $4 million towards cleaning the gullies and the Port Authority of Jamaica and the Grace Kennedy Foundation would be also doing their share. The contributions allowed the council to expand the drain and gully cleaning programme, he said.

“The total amount from private sector support to the KSAC so far is $6 million and I am expecting a substantial sum from the Port Authority of Jamaica. The GraceKennedy Foundation has also decided to undertake the cleaning of 16 drains within sections of downtown Kingston,” McKenzie said.

The cleaning of the gullies before and after the 2004 hurricane season was paying off, as less money was needed for their maintenance during the current hurricane season, he said.

“Last year, we spent some $5 1/2 million on cleaning the stretch of gully from the Mother White Bridge coming down to the sea. If that wasn’t done last year we would be spending twice the amount. But this year we are only spending under $3 million. That tells you that the work of the council has borne fruit,” the mayor said.

By cleaning the Shoemaker Gully the council had also been able to prevent the customary flooding caused by the Marcus Garvey Gully.

“We were able to spare persons who work in this area the agony of worrying how they are going to get out and what would happen to their places of business. The oil refinery is an important landmark in the city and we want to ensure that in case of any disaster, vehicles are able to access the facility so that the wider Jamaica can have the benefit of the service,” McKenzie said.

Meanwhile, Petrojam’s managing director Winston Watson said that the company supported what the council was trying to do.

“The mayor has asked us to assist in his community outreach programme in terms of providing funds to assist with some of the gully-cleaning projects and, with that in mind, Petrojam has agreed to donate the sum of $2 million,” said Watson.

In July, the council approved a motion calling on Local Government Minister Portia Simpson Miller to set up an annual fund for the councils to clean and maintain drains on an ongoing basis and to dedicate a minimum of $50 million for the cleaning of gullies, waterways and drains in the Corporate Area.