Cars manoeuvre carefully along the Palisadoes strip in east Kingston yesterday after high winds and seas deposited debris and sand along the road Thursday afternoon. - Junior Dowie/Staff Photographer
THERE IS growing concern about the constant pile-up of sand and silt on the Palisadoes strip, which leads from the Harbour View round-about to the Norman Manley International Airport in east Kingston.
On Thursday afternoon, high winds lodged piles of debris on the roadway, impeding vehicular traffic and pedestrians from using the road.
When The Gleaner visited the area early yesterday, debris was still visible on the roadway, even though Stephen Shaw, communications manager at the National Works Agency (NWA), said the road was cleared by representatives from his agency earlier in the morning.
Mr. Shaw said the mounds of sand on the roadway were acting as a "shield" created to protect the road. "The Government will be instituting a long-term solution to the problem," he said.
Residents said the current situation has been frequent and a major problem since the onslaught of Hurricane Ivan in 2004. The hurricane dumped volumes of sand and silt on the banks of the shore, and caused extensive damage to major sections of the roadway and the groynes along the shoreline. The groynes are now in a state of disrepair.
"(The) Government, in conjunction with the United Nations Environmental Programme and a group of Cuban contractors, have agreed to do a design study to deal with the situation," Dean Peart, Minister of Land and Environment, told The Gleaner yesterday.
Mr. Peart said the Cubans have already carried out the evaluation and are to submit a report to the ministry with responsibility for the environment. That report is to also go to Cabinet.
Keisha Hill
