MONTEGO BAY, St James — As a team from the National Solid Waste Management Authority (NSWMA) removed more than 10 truckloads of waste from Montego Bay’s South Gully Tuesday, head of the agency Audley Gordon urged local authorities to play their part in keeping the country’s gullies and drains clean.

“We came out this morning to pretty much do something which is not in keeping with our general mandate,” Gordon told reporters.

He was referencing the NSWMA’s one-time cleaning of the gully — a task which usually falls within the remit of the St James Municipal Corporation (SJMC). Work was done under the NSWMA’s $1.5-billion Debris Management Programme that was rolled out to clear debris generated by Hurricane Melissa last October.

“We couldn’t be talking debris management and don’t treat with the debris that came down the South Gully and clogged the underpass here — a very famous or infamous area when it comes to flooding. We want to ensure that as we go into the next hurricane season that we would have done our part to make sure that there is free passage under the bridge here,” Gordon stated.

The outlet from the South Gully had a massive pile-up of silt, plants, garbage, old tyres and other waste. The NSWMA boss made it clear more is needed to maintain the area and others like it.

“It is important, though, that this exercise is not a one-off. There must be a periodic maintenance of this underpass here. Once you don’t keep it clear, there will always be problems when you have heavy rains,” he warned.

“I want us to be proactive and clean periodically so we don’t have anything being clogged,” Gordon reiterated as he pointed in the direction of the responsible parties representing the local authorities.

Deputy Mayor of Montego Bay Dwight Crawford acknowledged the message as he, too, watched the work taking place in a vital part of the city’s flood management system.

He stressed, however, that the SJMC has been active in maintenance of the drain.

“We’re very heartened by the effort and the support we are getting from the NSWMA today because it will make our jobs a lot easier,” Crawford told the Jamaica Observer.

“Truth be told, the St James Municipal Corporation has been playing a big part, over the years, in the maintenance of the North and South gullies; we will continue the exercise,” he vowed.

The deputy mayor said the corporation will hold talks with the National Works Agency (NWA) regarding the cleaning of drains.

“Hurricane season is upon us and persons here in Montego Bay are very nervous about rain when they see it falling. We are definitely reaching out to NWA and asking them to give us their assistance in dealing with these matters,” Crawford declared.

The work being done on the South Gully brings phase two of the NSWMA’s Debris Management Programme to a close.

“The first phase started right after Melissa, where we spent some $500 million to do that initial set of work leading up to the Christmas holidays. Once the new year came in, the second phase kicked in and we are now wrapping that up this morning to start a third phase,” Gordon explained.

“The third phase will be a little different. In the third phase, what you will see is that people are now repairing their homes, people are now throwing out the old zinc that can’t [be] used, the old board that can’t [be] used. Because for a while people were trying to raise the funds to do their repairs, looking at what can be reused,” he said.

He said the NSWMA will be vigilant in ensuring material thrown out is disposed of properly.

“I must now speak directly to people who live in communities along the banks of the gully. We cannot just dump illicitly in the gullies — and we are talking to people in general,” Gordon appealed.

“When we don’t containerise our garbage all that loose garbage will float into the waterway, the wind will carry it, the water will carry it. It will end up in the gullies and ultimately the sea to destroy our marine life. We have to be better stewards of the environment and one easy way to do it when it comes to waste management is to properly containerise your garbage,” he reiterated.