COUNCILLOR DESMOND McKenzie of the Tivoli Division of the KSAC on Friday made an urgent appeal to Government agencies to clean and repair the Tivoli Gully which is choked with debris.
He said it posed a health threat and was affecting motorists and businesses in the area.
During a tour of the area he showed reporters piles of plastic bottles, old car parts, furniture and other debris, plants and stagnant water in the gully, which runs along Industrial Terrace. About $3 million would be needed to clean the gully and fix a badly-eroded section that needs to be repaired, he said.
He had repeatedly appealed to Arnold Bertram, Minister of Local Government, and Ana Treasure, managing director of Metropolitan Parks and Markets, but to-date, nothing had been done, he said. He had asked the Jamaica Social Investment Fund for $1.5 million to repair the gully but he was still waiting for a response.
"I'm still waiting for the Minister to issue some instructions so that some work can be done. It's a breeding ground for mosquitoes and rats and it is affecting the health of young people and adults living in the community," Councillor McKen-zie said.
Residents complained that the debris-filled gully was costing them thousands of dollars in visits to the doctor because they and their children were being affected by flies and mosquitoes. Constance McLaughlin, 61, said the stench from the garbage had caused several asthma attacks.
"Just yesterday (Thursday) mi go to the doctor. It cost me $1,000 fi di doctor and $300 an' odd fi de medicine," she said.
Lisa Kerr said that over the last month, for example, she has paid $6,000 in doctor's fees and medication because she has had to take her son, Romario Malvo, to see a doctor three times to treat sores that developed from mosquito bites. Some residents said they often threw away food because they feared becoming infected with leptospirosis by eating food contaminated by rats.
The problem is magnified when it rains, Councillor Mckenzie continued, because the gully overflowed and flies, mosquitoes and rats then invaded the nearby community.
"Something has to be done now", he said.
Businesses and motorists have also been affected, he said, because the stench can be overpowering and traffic is usually brought to a stand still by the flooding that occurs occasionally.
"Most of the time when I'm here and it rains, sections are like a sea because of the things that bank up here (the gully)," said truck driver Karl, who transports goods for Jamaica Freight Handlers Ltd, located across the street from the gully. Like the residents, Karl said he and other motorists have been attacked by mosquitoes and flies.
