Government is to spend $197.4 million on the Annotto Bay Coastal Protection project, for which a contract will be signed on Monday, April 15.

The money, which will be invested by the Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF) through funding from the World Bank’s Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project (DVRP), will be used to undertake the protection works in Annotto Bay, St Mary.

According to JSIF, the project will protect the Annotto Bay shoreline against erosion. It will also enhance the aesthetics as well as improve the livelihood of the fisherfolk and other businesses in the area.

JSIF said the project supports the Government of Jamaica in its thrust to implement programmes that promote climate and disaster risk management in the wider context of sustainable development.

JSIF highlighted that the Annotto Bay coastline has been experiencing moderate to severe shoreline erosion since 1988, noting that this increases the risk posed by frequent and severe storms that are routinely experienced by Jamaica.

The scope of the work to be undertaken includes the construction of two groynes, which will function as a trap to hold the sand in place, and the placement of sand along 244m (800ft) of the existing beach. The beach nourishment will extend 12m (40 ft) seaward from the existing slope. The final beach will sit at approximately 1.5m (5ft) above sea level.