Dear Editor,

We are now in the throes of dealing with the devastation caused by Hurricane Melissa. The road to recovery will be long and challenging, but we will get the job done.

Apart from the impact of this major catastrophe, we are beset by incidents of flooding caused by blocked drains and gullies from time to time. There are also several communities where, prior to Melissa, residents have been forced to make risky crossings of rivers and waterways because of collapsed bridges which have not been replaced. We know that our traditional rainy months are May and October and our hurricane season is from June 1 to November 30. But a severe weather event can come at any time, yet we always seem to find ourselves in a desperate scramble to clean drains and gullies every time heavy rain or a storm threaten.

Naturally, a part of the solution to keep our drains and gullies clean is to stop dumping our waste into them. The matter of solid waste disposal has to be dealt with in a serious way, but, in the meantime, keeping our drains, gullies, and waterways clean has to be a continuous activity and not one relegated to the onset of severe weather warnings.

It is probably time to establish an additional Engineering Unit of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) with the specific responsibility for the maintenance of drains, gullies, and other waterways. Such a unit would be trained and equipped to reduce risks from disasters and have the capacity to respond with efficiency and urgency.

This new formation should in no way take away any capability or mission from the existing Engineer Unit. The main difference is that it should be focused externally to provide public engineering services to strengthen national security.

The following is a list of some of the major projects undertaken by JDF military engineers:

• Micro-dams: the construction of micro-dams in the 1970s to provide irrigation water in agricultural areas

• Yallahs pipeline — provided assistance with the construction of 19 miles of pipeline in the 1980s to provide water to the Mona Dam from the Yallahs River

• Mobile farmer — rehabilitated rural farm roads in the 1990s

• Negril Royal Palm Project — construction of access roads in the Negril Morass

• Relocation 2000 Housing Project — provided assistance with infrastructure works for housing development

These government projects represent the outcome of the application of military engineering skills dedicated to civil works and military functions. So this additional military engineering unit would not be twiddling its thumbs when not engaged in its core assignments or training to maintain its technical and military skills but would be assigned to government projects.

In relation to natural or man-made disasters, this unit would provide for preparation and prevention, pre-positioning, rapid response, as well as relief and reconstruction.

Should this idea find favour, it is not too early to begin the necessary planning for its implementation.

Hardley Lewin

hmclewin@gmail.com