Drains being cleared in St James West Central as officials prepare for Elsa
ST JAMES, Jamaica- There has been extensive cleaning of drains in sections of the St James West Central constituency in preparation for Tropical Storm Elsa, which is expected to pass through the island later on Saturday into Sunday.
Councillor for the Granville division, Michael Troupe, told Observer Online that he has been out in his division since early Saturday morning.
“I have been on the road since 6 am, trying to make sure that all the drains in my division are clean, in preparation for all eventualities,” said Troupe.
He noted that, with the help of his team and a tractor, approximately 95 per cent of the major drains in the Granville division have been cleaned.
“So far, 95 per cent of the major drains have been cleaned. I am here this morning trying to clean these last set of drains, so I am cleaning this drain and we are bringing the waste material to the Retirement Dump. All the drains in Pitfour, Granville Proper, Retirement and Tenement [have been cleaned] and now we are here,” said Councillor Troupe.
This, he said, is made possible by funds acquired by the St James Municipal Corporation.
“We have gotten $600,000 from the municipal corporation so we are spending it as best as possible,” Troupe told Observer Online.
Similarly, in the Spring Garden division, both parochial drains and ones running along the Reading highway have been cleaned, said Councillor Dwight Crawford.
“We have done extensive drain cleaning right across the division, from as far as Guava Walk which is on the western end of the division, right across to the Catherine Hall area, which is on the extreme eastern end,” Councillor Crawford pointed out.
“So, both parochial drains and the drains that run along the Reading highway, we are actively cleaning those drains now because those drains are larger drains that take the water from all the hillside communities so the drains along the main thoroughfare are being cleaned as we speak now,” he added.
Work has also been done to clear trees and bushes which may prove to be hazardous, said the councillor.
“We have also been cutting some overhanging trees and working alongside JPS in doing some de-bushing of lines that potential hazards throughout the division, but the work is ongoing, and we have managed to do quite a bit and we intend to continue because we are not yet out of the hurricane season as yet,” said Crawford.
Rochelle Clayton
