THE State’s water management and distribution agency had councillors fuming at the March meeting of the Kingston and St Andrew Municipal Corporation (KSAMC).

At the centre of their anger was roads being excavated by the National Water Commission (NWC) without permission from the municipal authority.

Councillors from both the Jamaica Labour Party (JLP) and People’s National Party (PNP) expressed frustration and disapproval of what they said were lengthy delays by the NWC in restoring roads.

“The NWC should seek our authority, but this is not being done. They should give us a list of the roads to be dug up,” Councillor Vernon McLeod (JLP, Havendale Division) said during a debate on a motion calling on the NWC to repair all outstanding damaged roads in the capital city within the next three months.

The motion was tabled by Councillor Gareth Walker (PNP, Brandon Hill Division).

Councillor McLeod called the council’s attention to two sections of the NWC Act that requires the NWC to seek the approval of the KSAMC before parochial roads are excavated.

Section 4(e) of the Act states the water commission can, “with the approval of the appropriate road authority, add to or alter, as it considers necessary, any road, street or lane adjoining or near to land acquired for the purpose of any water supply service”.

It also said that the NWC can, “with the approval of the minister, acquire land for the purpose of adding to or altering any road, street or lane adjoining or near to land acquired for the purpose of any water supply service”.

The other section, 4g, states that the NWC, “Subject to such notice to the appropriate road authority and to such conditions as may be prescribed, [can] open or break up any road, street or lane for the purpose of laying down, extending, inspecting, altering, renewing or repairing any water works or sewerage system.”

During the debate Councillor Walker said that “It is time for the KSAMC to get brave and stand up and confront the NWC.”

Minority leader Andrew Swaby (PNP, Vineyard Town Division), who seconded the motion, argued that the KSAMC and NWC need to agree on what would be a reasonable time for a road that was excavated to be fixed.

“We don’t have funds to fix all the parochial roads in the municipality so we have to protect what we have,” Swaby said.

Councillor Eugene Kelly (PNP, Whitfield Town Division) drew reference to a half-billion-dollar project done by the NWC in his division some time ago.

“I can point to six spots that they dug up and years later they still have not fixed them,” he charged.

Councillor Neville Wright (PNP, Trench Town Division) said the NWC had done excavation work on Dexton, Gem and Lincoln roads in his division and left them in disrepair.

Councillor John Myers (JLP, Lawrence Tavern Division) made reference to a child in his division who had suffered injury to his leg on a road damaged by the NWC and which was not repaired.

Councillor Tosha Scwhapp (JLP, Stony Hill Division) said that the NWC should be requested to check and fix pipes prior to the start of roadwork.

The motion called for the NWC to “establish an agreed timeline within which these repairs should be restored”, and demanded that “going forward, the KSAMC be notified within 48 hours of all the roads that are dug up, in order to facilitate the monitoring of these locations”.

At the end of the debate, Kingston Mayor Delroy Williams instructed Robert Hill, the CEO of the municipality, to have discussions with the NWC on the matter.