SAVANNA-LA-MAR, Westmoreland – Mayor of Savanna-la-Mar Bertel Moore is calling on the National Works Agency (NWA) to expedite its drain-cleaning programme in Westmoreland, arguing that a number of drains in the parish are yet to be cleaned almost two months after the start of the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season.

“We are trying our best but I have a serious concern because I am not seeing the National Works Agency [NWA] doing their share of drain cleaning. I think they need to step up to the board and start doing more work,” he stated, pointing out that a number of large drains in the parish fall under their purview.

Moore, who is also chairman of the Westmoreland Municipal Corporation, noted that drains, including one in the Three Miles River area of the parish, are in need of urgent attention.

“There are several drains, when you go into the Three Miles River area, that big drain there, that needs to be cleaned badly, that’s number one…that Three Miles River drain needs to be concentrate on because when the water doesn’t run across the Three Miles River, its backs up and there is a lot of people over there who get flooded out,” he argued.

He added that there are others in the Grange Hill area that are also in need of cleaning, pointing out that despite the efforts of the Pan Caribbean team in the Peggy Barry area last year, some attention is needed this year.

“Peggy Barry, we did a good job in Peggy Barry last year, not the NWA, it was done by the Chinese at the sugar company but there is still some work to be done there,” he noted.

The NWA says, however, that currently there is ongoing work in the parish as part of a wider mitigation programme.

Community relations officer at the NWA’s western region, Janel Ricketts, explained that a number of drains in the parish have already been cleared while there are others that are currently being cleaned.

“We cleaned several drains even in the town centre itself, we have cleaned a lot of drains, for example, along Dalling Street, New Market Oval and an area called Desta . Those are just some of the drains that we cleaned. Those are 100 per cent complete now,” she stressed, while noting that the agency is involved in work in the Margaret Gutter drain in the Little London area, which is also being cleaned under the mitigation programme.

Speaking in particular to Three Miles River, Ricketts explained that that area will benefit from additional works being carried out as part of road improvement projects.

“For the Three Miles River, we have a project that’s being undertaken in that area, Gooden’s River to Glasgow, and the Three Miles River drain is one of those that will be targeted under that particular programme. Three Miles River, Farm Pen and Frome drains in those areas will be targeted and that is outside of our mitigation programme, so that’s a road improvement project that not only focuses on the road but also on drains,” she explained.

“That is what we have been doing over time, you have direct mitigation programme as well as other projects then that target not just the roads but drains. I know that in Peggy Barry, we have a major drain there that will help with flooding in the area. It was extensive work so our cleaning will be ongoing but the ones that I have highlighted would be the ones we are focusing on right now, but it is an ongoing effort.”