WESTMORELAND, Jamaica — Illegal electrical connections, unauthorised water pipes, and informal settlements are some of the obstacles hindering proper drain cleaning work in flood-prone areas in Westmoreland.

As the western Jamaica parish braces for the arrival of Hurricane Melissa, disaster preparedness efforts there continue to face serious setbacks, with several underlying issues threatening to undermine the progress being made on the ground.

“That part of the drain could not be cleaned properly because illegal wires from the post were in the drain and they started gashing when the back hoe was clearing that area,” Abigail Malcolm, Caretaker of the Cornwall Mountain Division, stated.
She was assisting with drain cleaning in the Petersfield Division.

In other communities, illegal water pipes were hidden in drains, and some houses were built either in the drain or too close beside them, leaving no room for the backhoe to maneuvre and completely clean the drains. These obstructions have made drain-cleaning exercises difficult, posing increased risks to residents in flood-prone communities.

Member of Parliament for Central Westmoreland, Dwayne Vaz, has also raised strong concerns about the persistent garbage pile-up affecting the parish.

A main drain in the community of Bastard Cedar Walk was being cleaned on Saturday, October 25, 2025 ahead of Hurricane Melissa. The road is usually impassable as water as tall as 3 ft sits on the road.

“We have a serious back log of garbage in Westmoreland,” he told the Jamaica Observer. “I actually have to call [National] Solid Waste Agency every single day because everyday people call me in the different communities about the back log of garbage and the garbage not being collected.”

Vaz questioned whether Westmoreland and Hanover have been sidelined after learning that garbage trucks assigned to both parishes were reportedly pulled and reassigned to St James.

“We want to know if Westmoreland is not as important as St James, if Hanover is not as important as St James,” he said.

“Because how can you move the limited resources that you have available here, because every day you hear we don’t have enough trucks, how can you take trucks from Westmoreland and send to St James when we have the same problems that St James has?

“The National Solid Waste Agency needs to answer these questions immediately and let the residents of Westmoreland know why they are not being prioritized in this serious time,” Vaz continued.

A resident of Bastard Cedar Walk District in Petersfield explained that when the Frome Sugar Factory use to clean the drains in the farm lands there was no flooding. (Photo: Rosalee Wood Condell)

The problem is further compounded by the state of the old cane lands, which have been left unattended since the closure of the Frome Sugar Factory’s operations in those areas. Previously, the factory gave back to the community by cleaning the drains on a yearly basis, a practice that significantly reduced flooding in several areas of Petersfield.

“Now that the factory don’t own the land dem, the drains have not been cleaned for years,” Tony Allen, a resident of Bastard Cedar Walk, told the Jamaica Observer, noting that every heavy rainfall now brings heightened fear of flooding and property damage.

With the combined effects of poor garbage management, blocked drains, and unregulated construction, local authorities are calling for more programmes to raise awareness to residents, enforcement and resources to address the long-standing issues that continue to put lives and livelihoods at risk in Westmoreland.

Uncollected garbage in the community of Hudson Street in Savanna la Mar is proof of the back log affecting the parish. (Photo: Rosalee Wood Condell)