PRIME Minister Bruce Golding yesterday instructed the National Works Agency (NWA) to conduct a comprehensive analysis of the Corporate Area’s drainage system.

Golding gave the directive following a tour of several major drains and gullies which revealed severe structural failures and deterioration of the waterways.

Among the areas toured were the Tinson Pen area of Marcus Garvey Drive, Spanish Town Road, New Haven and Riverside communities in Duhaney Park, Roehampton Drive, Red Hills Boulevard and sections of Constant Spring Road.

Repair work, the prime minister said, would have to be undertaken as “a matter of urgency” within the financial constraints to repair the breaches, especially where private dwellings were threatened.

He said while the drainage network laid down under Sir Alexander Bustamante more than 50 years ago has served the Corporate Area well, it has not been maintained with the diligence with which it should, leading to structural failures.

“One of the things we have to do as a matter of urgency is to try and repair those breaches and (transport and works) Minister Mike Henry is going to be working within the financial constraints to see if we can address those quickly, not only to protect the rest of the channels, but also the private properties of residents,” Golding told journalists when the tour got to Sherlock Drive off Mannings Hill Road in St Andrew.

He said the results of the comprehensive analysis would help determine what is to be done over time to carry out rehabilitative maintenance and put in place a routine maintenance regime.

“Routine maintenance is preventative work, if we maintain it on a routine basis… then we minimise the chances of the structural failures that we are seeing today…” Golding explained.

The prime minister said the undertaking would be “expensive” and would necessitate seeking multi-lateral funding.

“We will certainly have to seek multilateral funding; but it is the type of project that we believe will attract multilateral funding and we are going to be working on that so it can become part of the Public Sector Investment Programme,” Golding said.

On the matter of Marcus Garvey Drive, which proves a major problem for motorists whenever it rains, the prime minister said several measures were being looked at to arrive at a “permanent fix” for the busy thoroughfare.