BOTTOM TOWN, Trelawny –

After years of neglect this small community, which has been beset with a myriad of social ills, is set to benefit from a raft of interventions, as stakeholders in the parish move to ameliorate the existing poor conditions under which the more than 1,500 residents live.

“We are going to undertake a massive clean-up of the area next Monday,” said Fernandez ‘Bingy’ Smith, the Jamaica Labour Party councillor for the area.

Already hundreds of garbage bags have been distributed to area residents, who will be responsible for cleaning up their surroundings.

“Trucks from the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) will be deployed in the area on the same day to collect the garbage,” Smith added.

Teams from the National Youth Service are also expected to participate.

On March 5, a community forum will be held at the Temple of Light Church in the community, where representatives from a number of government organisations will address the residents.

“The main focus of the forum will be to advise the residents about how to sustain a healthy community,” said medical officer of health (MOH) for Trelawny, Dr Marcia Johnson Campbell, who is playing a lead role in the drive to address the ills of the community.

According to Johnson Campbell, a team from the Social Development Commission (SDC) and the NSWMA will also be present.

“The SDC will talk to the residents about how to work together and generally how to organise themselves as a community, while the NSWMA will give information on collection, storage and disposal of their garbage,” said the MOH, adding that a pastor will deliver a “message of hope” to the residents.

Dr Johnson Campbell also disclosed that at the end of March, a health fair will take place on an open lot in the community.

Activities for the day, she said, will include screening for diseases and HIV by a team from the health department and presentations from representatives of the Ministry of Labour who will, among other things disseminate information on the Government’s PATH programme.

Representatives from the SDC and the NYS will also be on hand to provide information on topics such as employment opportunities.

Meanwhile, Smith said there are also plans to install an efficient drainage system; to effect repairs to leaking water mains and to drain the two large contaminated ponds in the area.

He added that he would also be seeking the assistance of the USAID and the CHASE (Culture, Health, Arts, Sports and Education) Fund for funding to address the poor housing conditions, as well as the implementation of sports and cultural activities in the district.

The deplorable state of the community was placed in the spotlight recently, after the Trelawny Health Department warned that the conditions in the densely populated community could lead to an outbreak of infectious diseases, if nothing was done to address the poor conditions there.

The small district which adjoins Clarks Town has also been a concern for residents and visitors alike, due mainly to its clogged drains; lack of proper garbage disposal system and the free flow of animal faeces which runs from the backyards of several residences onto the roadway.

Additionally, they have expressed concern about two large ponds in the area that have reportedly contributed to the high level of mosquito infestation in the area.

Since the inhumane conditions under which the residents live came to the fore, a team consisting of stakeholders which include Smith, member of parliament for North Trelawny, Dr Patrick Harris, officials of the Health Department, the NSWMA and the National Environment and Planning Agency, community members and the SDC have been meeting regularly in an effort to devise a strategy to arrest the worrying situation.