MEMBER of Parliament for Clarendon South Eastern, Pearnel Charles Jr says there will be a two-pronged approach which will form the basis for solving one of the major causes of flooding in the Longville Park Housing Scheme. “Actions and consequences is the two-pronged approach we will be using. First we will ramp up the awareness and the municipal corporation will then ramp up their enforcement, and that is in dealing with building material left on the side of the road or outside a perimeter fence” he said.

“A lot of the issues are not natural occurrences but the contribution by residents, which is a discussion many don’t want to have but it’s a reality. As we look to identify the mishaps by agencies we also have to raise the awareness of residents who leave material on the road, and then it becomes a hazard for motorists and pedestrians and then ends up in the drains, which leads to flooding, and then it destroys the National Water Commission (NWC) pumps. And at the end of the day we are asking the Clarendon Municipal Corporation (MC) and the NWC to solve the problems that we have contributed to,” Charles stated.

“The MC has the responsibility for enforcement but they have said it is a sensitive issue, as they are limited in their human resources to have persons going around enforcing every day. But, they have committed to doing so. In addition to enforcement, there has to be an even greater ramping up of awareness – because if everyone who lives here understands their responsibility to their own space and to their community, then there will not be much need for enforcement,” the MP said.

Charles Jr said the area is to be expanded soon and he hopes that before this expansion begins, the existing problems such as poor road conditions and issues with drainage within the community will be resolved.

Acting president of the Longville Park Community Development Committee, Alphanso Lewis said he is pleased with the commitments from the agencies to solve the issues plaguing the community. “In Phase Three there is a problem with the thick overgrowth on empty lots, and the National Housing Trust (NHT) has committed to have this particular longstanding issue dealt with.

“Low water pressure on the weekends is also a problem which the NWC say they are working on. Since the tropical storm we have had problems with mosquitoes and we have reached out to the health department, and we hope they will come and do some fogging for us. Some of these issues shouldn’t have been lingering for so long and I’m hoping that today will be the start of a resolve for these,” said Lewis.

Mayor of May Pen Winston Maragh, who has temporary oversight responsibility for the Mineral Heights Division since the death of the former Councillor Milton Brown, of which Longville Park is a part, said he has been getting numerous requests from the different groups about the bad roads, the flooding whenever it rains, and the overgrown vegetation in the empty lots.

“We were able to arrive at an agreement as to the way forward so work should begin shortly, based on the discussions here,” Maragh said.

“Representation was made on behalf of the citizens who were affected by the flooding from rains associated with Tropical Storm Elsa three weeks ago. I called the team from the NHT and we found out that the drains are inadequate and so, all of these drains will have to be expanded to carry the volume of water whenever we have excess rainfall,” he explained.

Maragh further added that the scheme is yet to be handed over to the municipal corporation. “We are working on that and my technical team is in constant dialogue with the NHT, and very shortly we will be moving in that direction,” he said, pointing out that the municipal corporation does not accept any development until all the infrastructure is in place.

“As minister of housing we are geared toward sustainable communities, and so Longville Park and similar communities across Jamaica will be the focus to ensure these solutions are safe and that the environment in these communities are such that it engenders the kind of sustainable practices and respect for the environment and safe spaces for our children to be able to play and for residents to be able to interact,” Charles Jr commented.

He said the overall goal of Thursday’s tour was to see first-hand the challenges the residents are experiencing, particularly after the torrential rains. “The agencies are committed to solving the problems because there is an eagerness to work together, and it starts with us being able to go around and get the accurate information on what is happening, who is responsible, what will be the cost, and how we will be able to work together to identify an approach in a timely manner,” Charles Jr stated.