JAMAICA HAS been spared a direct hit during this year's very active hurricane season. Yet, the damage to the country's infrastructure has been extensive on at least three occasions as major storm systems passed near the island. In the latest case, the continuous rainfall associated with Hurricane Wilma over the past week severely undermined already weakened roadways and public infrastructure.
With widespread flooding, damage to roadways, and landslides leading to communities being cut off and major highways rendered useless, there are serious issues which the Government and its agencies will have to address post-haste.
We cannot make excuses for the prior careless actions of citizens who chop down trees from hillsides or dump garbage and other material in areas which eventually lead to landslides or the choking of drains. Their irresponsibility and lack of civic pride are major contributing factors.
However, there does not seem to be any preventive maintenance programme of worth to avert the easy flooding and erosion of major roadways. Too many of the island's roads are being turned into rivers and ponds with much less volume of water than that dumped by 'Wilma'.
The chaos on the Mandela Highway and the Portmore Causeway Wednesday and yesterday has demonstrated in quite dramatic fashion, that our governmental authorities have not been taking a sufficiently big-picture view in their drafting or approval of development plans. It is ironic in the extreme that both major roadways that lead to and from the Portmore dormitory community were rendered practically impassable for much of Wednesday.
With the recent controversy over the imposition of a toll system for the causeway, the Mandela Highway was being touted as an alternative route. Neither roadway would have been of use to anyone wanting to exit Portmore in an emergency on either Wednesday or yesterday. The chaos of the past two days has highlighted the danger facing its residents.
While the precise cause of the flooding there has yet to be determined, with extensive construction being done on both roadways, it is conceivable that the infrastructure developments are contributing factors. We note that the managers for the Highway 2000 project have said they cannot be held responsible. Our primary interest is not so much who is to be blamed but rather what has caused the flooding and how it can be prevented in future.
THE OPINIONS ON THIS PAGE, EXCEPT FOR THE ABOVE, DO NOT NECESSARILY REFLECT THE VIEWS OF THE GLEANER.
