The $244-million coastal protection project in Annotto Bay, St Mary, which was intended to safeguard the shoreline and shield the town from rising waters, is now being blamed for flooding at Annotto Bay Market during a period of heavy rainfall last month.

According to Mayor of Port Maria Fitzroy Wilson and Councillor Hugh Bryan (Jamaica Labour Party, Annotto Bay Division) the problem is linked to the placement of groynes offshore.

The structures, which are designed to slow wave action and trap sand to prevent erosion, are believed to have interfered with natural water flow in the area.

“If you look at the back of the market, there’s a drain that leads the storm water and also the water that comes from the front of the area — the parking area that goes through there. That drain would have taken the water out to the sea. There was some recent work done by another agency on the riveting arm of the seashore, where they packed those boulders to prevent the seashore from being eroded,” Wilson told the Jamaica Observer in a recent interview.

“The sea rose to a level because it was basically in spate and it would be pushing back the water that is coming through the drain, so it would have pushed up the sand and everything and blocked the drain. The water was not able to run out, and that is what caused the backup of water to come into the market,” the mayor added.

The shoreline preservation effort is a sub-project of the Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project implemented by Jamaica Social Investment Fund (JSIF). It was also managed by the Planning Institute of Jamaica (PIOJ) and funded through a loan from the World Bank.

The Sunday Observer contacted JSIF about the matter and was informed by the agency that the “area is outside the JSIF project footprint”, thus it could not provide a comment.

When the Sunday Observer asked who was now responsible for the project we were referred to PIOJ. In an e-mailed response to questions posed, PIOJ Director General Wayne Henry said the institute is aware of the long-standing issue of flooding in Annotto Bay, citing the issue as one of the main reasons that the area was prioritised for shoreline protection and rehabilitative works. He noted that a groyne was not placed behind the market by contractors engaged by the PIOJ or the National Works Agency.

“The shoreline protection works at the location referred to as Annotto Bay Site 3 (AB3) form part of a larger set of adaptation initiatives aimed at reducing the vulnerability of three coastal towns — Annotto Bay, Buff Bay, and Orange Bay. These interventions are of critical importance as the country continues to grapple with the continued and increasingly devastating impacts of climate change,” said Henry.

He noted that the project included construction of approximately 400 metres of revetment with armour stone boulders, construction of two groynes in specified locations along the project site, and nourishment of the beach, using shingle material of specified sizes.

“However, during project walk-throughs it was observed that the relatively small U-drain in the vicinity of the fishing village was frequently blocked with debris, which prevented the drain from emptying and resulting in stagnation. It was therefore recommended to allow for an outfall through the revetment, which would improve the drain outfall by leaving a clear exit path for the drain to flow through. The drainage channel was completed in May 2023 and features an excavated sloped pathway with armour stones on both sides,” said the director general.

“It should be noted that because the drain outfall intersects with the high-water mark (shoreline), it will therefore require maintenance to remove debris and silt build-up. The presence of the exit pathway does not remove the need for a regular cleaning regime by the relevant authorities to prevent possible public health issues from developing as a result of constant stagnation,” he added.

Mayor Wilson said the St Mary Municipal Corporation had made a recommendation that the relevant authorities be informed “because another phase of that coastal project is ongoing now, further up the market and near to the Mother Ford drain”.

“We said that we hope that the chief engineering officer will liaise with them and make the necessary recommendation,” he added.

Wilson suggested that it would be more effective if the project had been done further out into the water to break the waves before they get too close to the shoreline and deposit sand that blocks the existing drain.

Councillor Bryan also blamed the coastal protection project for the recent flooding of the market. He said that, while the existing drains can manage minimal rainfall, if there is heavy rainfall it will lead to flooding.

He also argued that the Pencar River needs attention.

“It is the main river that leads through the town, the one further up going back to the hospital. I think we need to look at dredging for that river. I know some work is being done on the same [coastal protection] project around the Mother Ford drain [close to Annotto Bay Primary School], so I am hoping that that one as well will solve some of our flooding problems,” Bryan told the Sunday Observer.

Vendors who recalled the January 2 flooding also attributed the problem to the clogged drain.

“When we go around the back the water high so till. All when it reach [inside the market] the water a buckle like it is natural sea. It high until it reach up here so around the back,” one vendor said, placing her hand at her thigh to indicate the height of the water.

“It was a like a sea around there, and we just stand up and watched it,” she added.

Another vendor said the drain needs to be widened because of the volume of water that it carries.

“It carry all the water off the road [in front the market], and [behind]… I feel like, because of the volume of water it carries, and it nuh big enough, it want to clean, and then the mouth [of the gutter] coming like it is [clogged] because of the sand out there… It [the waves] box back the water instead of it going out when the water reaches the middle,” she said.

Another vendor said that he believes the project was not done properly, arguing that it “should be out more [into the sea], or when the rain falls it still a go flood”.

The vendors all said that they had not expected the market to flood, especially since it was recently renovated. They complained that the roof is in need of repair and said steps need to be taken to address the flooding issue.

The Annotto Bay Market benefited from a $19-million renovation, which concluded in mid-2025. According to Mayor Wilson, the project included a bathroom, infrastructure repairs, and the construction of commercial shops that could be rented at a discounted price.

He noted, however, that an assessment after the passage of Hurricane Beryl in July 2024 had revealed infrastructure damage to the roof. He said minor repairs were done to facilitate the replacement of some of the zinc, and “we are awaiting other funding to carry out more in-depth repairs to the market”.

Photograph provided by the Planning Institute of Jamaica, captured on June 21, 2023, depicting the centre view of the constructed drainage channel, with corresponding markings placed by a surveyor. PIOJ said the presence of the exit pathway does not remove the need for a regular cleaning regime by the relevant authorities to prevent possible public health issues from developing as a result of constant stagnation. (Photo: PIOJ)

WILSON… it would be more effective if the project was done further out into the water to break the waves before they get too close to the shoreline

A section of the Annotto Bay Market in St Mary. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)

A narrow drain inside the Annotto Bay Market which vendors say needs to be widened. (Photo: Karl Mclarty)