ST ELIZABETH, Jamaica – Santa Cruz Councillor Christopher Williams is again making an urgent call for the National Works Agency (NWA) to assist with blocked drains in the St Elizabeth town.

“I am basically asking the NWA if they could do some emergency work, even if it’s a situation where it is not a long-term thing, right? Do something to ease the discomfort,” he pleaded.
“The truth is, if it rains now, there is going to be a blockage in terms of water blocking the roadway; and Morrison’s Variety Store, I am sorry for those persons because the water normally goes into the store and these are things that we want to sort out.”

Williams said a November 21 meeting with NWA heads had not yielded results the municipal corporation were hoping for.

“We got a meeting with NWA and it was a Zoom meeting. But the truth is, at that meeting we had, I think, two representatives from NWA, two or three, the CEO of the corporation, the chief engineering officer, myself, the mayor, but nothing really came from that meeting, that is why
last week Thursday at general council, I renewed the call,” he stated.

The councillor says with the advent of the festive season there will be more people traversing the road and the easily flooded streets are a concern.

“Grand market is coming, it is going to be populated with a number of persons. Do something so the space can be easily traversed by people and vehicles,” he said.

Flooding from blocked drains after heavy rains is an issue in the town where pedestrians are often seen slogging through dirty water to get to their destinations.

READ: Chronic flooding a major challenge for Santa Cruz

-Dana Malcolm