Do it right the first time - ODPEM's Jackson

Adrian Frater, News Editor

Western Bureau:

RONALD JACKSON, the director general of the Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management (ODPEM), believes the failure to invest in developments that are sustainable is costing Jamaica dearly.

The ODPEM head pointed out that billions of dollars are going into repairing projects that were not properly done initially.

"The problem is that we keep replacing the same piece of infrastructure year after year at great cost," said Jackson, while addressing The Gleaner Editors' Forum in Montego Bay last Thursday. "That money could have been invested elsewhere," he stressed.

"For the last 10 years, on average, give or take a few dollars, we have been spending $14 billion, or experiencing $14 billion of losses due to natural hazards," said Jackson.

Jackson, who was one of the key participants in last week's Fifth Annual Caribbean Conference on Comprehensive Disaster Management, held in Montego Bay, noted that projects that were done in accordance with acceptable standards were more likely to survive disasters and ultimately required less costly repairs.

"If we do our projects the right way the first time, we would not have to face such large repair bills annually," reasoned Jackson. He added that 60 per cent to 70 per cent of the $14 billion was used to repair roads, which had deteriorated as a result of years of use or improper construction.

"If we did not have these huge repair bills, we probably would not have to be worrying so much about finding funds to address some of our critical financial needs," said Jackson.

According to the ODPEM boss, Jamaica and the other Caribbean islands, which are facing a similar situation, need to focus on reducing the things that affect their ability to be prosperous so that more resources would become available to meet financial obligations.

"If we don't invest in protecting the limited resources we have, then that is where you can forget about being able to pay our teachers. That is the dilemma we are finding ourselves in at this time."

Andria Grosvenor, the technical manager, preparedness and country support at the Caribbean Disaster and Emergency Management Agency, agreed with Jackson's position, noting that the region's best option was to put proper infrastructure in place from the outset.

"It is more costly to repair and rebuild than to build the thing properly in the first place and put in mitigation measures upfront," said Grosvenor.