Dear Editor,

Stephen Shaw of the National Works Agency (NWA) was heard saying on the 7:00 pm Television Jamaica ( TVJ) news on November 8, 2021, that the trash racks trapping the debris in Montego Bay were “overwhelmed”, thereby contributing to the flooding that occurred in the recent rains.

Has he never heard of motorised trash rack cleaners? There are a number of types depending on what type of debris is being trapped on the trash rack. These clean the trash rack of debris automatically.

This is nothing new. They are used to keep power stations and other types of intakes clear of debris. So why are these not installed in our larger critical drains and gullies?

These should be powered down until activated automatically by detection of a build-up of water on the upstream side as compared to the downstream side of the trash rack in order to minimise electricity consumption. Just take away the trash cleaned off the trash rack.

However, putting a trash rack in a Jamaican drain or gully is to ignore the fact that, until Jamaicans learn to stop chucking trash in gullies and drains, it is guaranteed to become blocked in no time flat the first time it rains. Duh!

Howard Chin

Member, Jamaica Institution of Engineers

hmc14@cwjamaica.com