FALMOUTH, Trelawny — Falmouth mayor and chairman of the Trelawny Municipal Corporation (TMC) Collen Gager has enthusiastically endorsed Government’s plan to embark on a colossal upgrading project that will see the cleaning of a massive 1.6-kilometre earth drain running east to west through the seaside town.

“This is something that we welcome with wide-open arms,” Gager told the Jamaica Observer when contacted for comment.

Often affectionately called “Draggie”, the drain, which serves as the primary flood mitigation infrastructure by moving water to the sea, is also a local landmark and town boundary.

“It is both the town’s most important piece of infrastructure and, as [last October’s Hurricane] Melissa demonstrated, its most neglected. Major infrastructure works will be undertaken to clean it and progressively modernise it into a functional water feature that both protects the town and enhances its remarkable Georgian character,” Prime Minister Dr Andrew Holness announced during his contribution to the 2026/27 Budget Debate last Thursday.

“Madam Speaker, like Black River, Falmouth is a case study in the existential vulnerability of low-lying coastal communities to the intensifying impacts of climate change. The flooding of the town, the failure of its drainage infrastructure, and the severing of its road connections during Hurricane Melissa were not random misfortunes — they were the predictable consequences of a town whose layout, institutions, and infrastructure were simply never designed for the climate realities we now face. We cannot simply rebuild what was there. We must fundamentally reorganise Falmouth,” Holness added.

The prime minister also announced that Draggie “will serve as the boundary between two distinct and complementary zones of the reimagined Falmouth”.

“North of the drag line, closer to the sea, the focus will be on what the waterfront does best: tourism, heritage, recreation, and coastal protection. The magnificent Georgian historic core — the Albert George Market, the Falmouth Courthouse, the Tharpe House Complex, the churches, and the Baptist Manse will all be preserved as far as possible. The cruise port and the waterfront will be enhanced and activated as world-class visitor experiences,” Holness said.

The area south of the drag line will have an entirely different feel.

“We will build the resilient civic backbone that Falmouth has never had. The hospital will be relocated inland, away from the flood zone, with direct access to the North Coast Highway so that it remains fully operational precisely when it is needed most. A new urban centre, built to modern standards of climate resilience, will consolidate critical public services and give the people of Trelawny the standard of public facilities they deserve,” the prime minster explained.

Last year the TMC undertook cleaning of the massive canal for the parish’s Labour Day project, as Gager urged residents to stop dumping garbage into the channel.

At the time, he expressed frustration that the corporation is often blamed for unsanitary conditions caused by improper waste disposal in the drain that runs through the town.

Over the years, the TMC has been burdened with the task of clearing the open channel, which frequently becomes clogged with garbage and debris. This build-up often results in a foul odour and poses a health risk by creating a breeding ground for mosquitoes.

In 2021, the municipal corporation undertook a $20-million project to dredge and clean the drag line.

A section of Falmouth’s drag line, affectionately called Draggie, which serves as a flood-mitigation measure, local landmark and town boundary. (Photo: Horace Hines)

A section of Falmouth’s drag line, affectionately called Draggie, which serves as a flood-mitigation measure, local landmark and town boundary. (Photo: Horace Hines)

GAGER… this is something that we welcome with wide-open arms.