Delroy Chuck
NATURAL DISASTERS will occur. Whether an earthquake, tsunami, hurricane, flooding or even a man-made disaster occurs, we have to pick up the pieces, rebuild and move forward. However, in Jamaica, we are just not prepared for any catastrophe. No doubt, it takes months or years to recover, but we cannot continue forever to blame disasters for our perennial problems and inability to relieve citizens of their inconvenience and distress.
For years, I have stressed the need for maintenance, regular and preventative maintenance. Sadly, nothing is properly maintained. The policies of our hapless, visionless and bankrupt government fail to prioritise maintenance, which I emphasise is our best investment. Our roads, gullies, hospitals, schools and virtually everything for which government is responsible are in various advanced states of disrepair, non-functioning and abandoned. When, if these amenities and equipment were only properly maintained and regularly repaired, the enormous expenditure to return them to effective use would be significantly less and, probably, unnecessary.
UNREPAIRED GULLIES
Just examine our roads and gullies. The gullies in Northern St. Andrew and most in lower Kingston and St. Andrew have not been repaired in the past 15 and more years. Well-built gullies, and they were well-built, will last forever but they must be maintained. Yes, they are occasionally cleaned, which is the responsibility of the local authorities, the Kingston and St. Andrew Corporation and National Solid Waste Management Authority, but when has the National Works Agency or its predecessor the Public Works Department spent any money to repair and maintain gullies in the Corporate Area. After the heavy rains, and the rains have continued from Hurricane Ivan, the gullies are now clear and present dangers to frightened residents and threaten whole communities.
In the Corporate Area, the gullies are tearing away, their floors are now without foundation and every shower of rain is eating away the base and undermining the foundations of the gully banks. Many of these gullies have totally collapsed. Adjoining properties and expensive houses, in upper St. Andrew, are damaged or threatened. Concerned and endangered residents are now in a quandary, as even though political representatives and technocrats have visited and seen the impending danger, nothing is done, and the real likelihood of even greater disasters, with possible loss of lives, cannot be ignored. Unless these gullies are repaired forthwith, the costs will double or quadruple after another serious flooding.
ROADS IN DISREPAIR
I need not comment on the roads, as unlike the gullies, the scandalous state of disrepair can easily be seen and everyone experiences the grave inconvenience and daily nuisance of traversing any residential, urban or rural road. In truth, the majority of our roads were not built or repaired to last. How come Highway 2000 did not suffer the damage and flooding of many of our roads? Compare Highway 2000 with some of the other recently built roads, for example the North Coast Highway, and the difference in engineering design and construction becomes evident. Most of the present patchwork and pothole repairs are a total waste of money. Serious remedial work and reconstruction are urgently required on our road network that can last the better part of a decade instead of a few months.
Jamaica is in the hurricane path and flooding occurs annually. Yet, we have failed to deal adequately with this well known, expected and actual natural disaster. In fact, we have made matters worse. The erosion and denuding of the mountainside through man-made actions have caused millions of tons of soil and debris to fill and block our gullies and roads. At present, the gullies in Northern St. Andrew are totally blocked with sand, gravel and debris and another heavy shower of rain will definitely cause massive flooding everywhere. As MP, I play my part. I use my personal funds regularly, inter alia, to clean and prevent flooding on Grants Pen Road and lower Jacks Hill. I write dozens of letters and make endless representations for serious attention to these roads and gullies - to no good effect.
To be sure, funding must be found to overcome the impending natural disasters. Therefore, the action of the mayors and councillors on Monday must be fully supported. They have been starved of the needed funds to carry out even basic remedial work in their areas, while money is being channelled through central government agencies, no doubt to fund their favourite genetically connected contractors. Sloppy work, from political contracts, must cease. Jamaica cannot continue like this, while the imminent and avoidable disasters are simply ignored.
Delroy Chuck is an attorney-at-law and Member of Parliament. He can be contacted by email at delchuck@hotmail.com.
