By Erica James-King, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
IN EXCESS of half a million dollars is needed by the Trelawny Parish Council to put an end to some of the flooding woes plaguing the parish capital, Falmouth.
Mayor of Falmouth and Chairman of the Trelawny Parish Council, Councillor Joseph Wright told The Gleaner that the Council needs financing to the tune of $540,000 to purchase a pump, to suck up water at the seaward-end of some of the drains in the parish capital which have caused recurring flooding problems in the town. An estimate of expenditure for the pump was sent to Ministry of Local Government last week.
Particularly hard hit by flooding this week, as a result of the heavy rains which pummelled the north coast were the following roadways in Falmouth: Cornwall Street, Trelawny Street and sections of Market Street. Most sections of the flood-prone streets in Falmouth are below sea level and the Council is blaming the high tide lashing the parish's coastline for contributing to the flooding problems. "Whenever there is high tide, the sea deposits huge amounts of sand at the mouth of the drains and this in turn clogs the drains. So, the drains cannot adequately cope with the increased influx of water brought down by the heavy rains, and easily overflow their banks," explained Mayor Wright.
Further describing the difficulties created by the high tide, the Mayor continued, "For the last five months Falmouth has been experiencing high tide, so as fast as we clear the drains they are blocked up by sand."
To make matters worse, on each occasion that the drains are to be cleared of sand, it costs the Parish Council $3,000 to hire the services of a backhoe.
But the tide can turn for flood-prone areas of Falmouth, if the Council gets the required financing for a new solution. A representative from the Local Government Ministry's Technical Department recently visited Trelawny and advised the Parish Council that a water pump was needed as a short term approach to arresting the problem with drains in the town.
"We were advised that a pump if used correctly and frequently could soak up the water in the clogged drains and stop them from overflowing their banks," remarked Mayor Wright. "The Council just cannot afford to buy the pump and we need help from central government."
