THE National Works Agency (NWA) will begin work this week on a major drain that runs behind the Tinson Pen Aerodrome in Kingston, to prevent a repeat of the massive flooding along Marcus Garvey Drive in the capital two weeks ago.

Robert Pickersgill, the Minister of Housing, Transport, Water and Works, gave instructions for the cleaning, following last week’s meeting with NWA representatives, the National Road Operating and Constructing Company (NROCC), the Port Authority of Jamaica, Bouygues and Trans Jamaica Highways, operators of Highway 2000.

“The cleaning of the drain should help prevent the flooding along Marcus Garvey Drive because when the rain fell a lot of garbage was dumped along the roadway and at the port,” Stephen Shaw, the NWA’s communications and customer service manager, told the Observer last week. “We want to make sure that when the next shower of rain comes, the water will have some ease of passage in making its way out to sea.”

He added that the volume of water, which accumulated along the roadway in 45 minutes and receded in under two hours, pointed to an issue of capacity as well as a very minuscule gradient.

“We know, for example, that Marcus Garvey Drive is a low point and the gradient is very limited so with the planned major development for sections of that area, we have to look at the impact this is likely to have,” he said.

Meanwhile, Shaw said that in addition to cleaning the drain, the cost of which had yet to be finalised, a study had been commissioned to look at the entire drainage system along Marcus Garvey Drive. The study, which is to end by November, will look at the wider drainage area from as far away as Half-Way-Tree.

“The study should have some recommend-ations, which will be taken on board and implemented through a development plan for the area,” he said, adding that it could also include sourcing funds for the additional work to be done.

At the same time, he said the NWA was pulling out all the stops to ensure the completion of works on the Sandy Gully, which is the agency’s main drainage system in the Corporate Area.

“We have surveyed that channel and there are about 12 areas that need significant attention because the inverts as well as the wind walls have been damaged for one reason or another,” he said, adding that $60 million was being spent on phase two of the programme, implemented last year, to correct some of the inadequacies.

Recently, the agency received approval for an additional J$200 million to be spent on this year’s islandwide flood mitigation effort.

All of this money will be spent in areas where there is a particular need,” Shaw said.

– browni@jamaicaobserver.com