JAMAICA | Neita Garvey Calls for Immediate Allocation of Funds for a Drain Cleaning in all Parishes

 KINGSTON, Jamaica: September 27, 2022 - Opposition Spokesperson on Local Government and Sports, Mrs. Natalie Neita Garvey, is calling on the Minister of Local Government, Desmond McKenzie, to provide all Municipal Corporations with adequate funding from the Parochial Revenue Fund (PRF) to clean drains and address other municipal infrastructure in the wake of flooding from Hurricane Ian.

 In a statement this morning, Mrs. Neita Garvey said that in July, the Ministry had asked the Municipal Corporations to establish a drain cleaning programme of six hundred thousand dollars per division ($600,000) which up to now has not been funded. This programme, she said, should have been funded by PRF allocations, set aside in June and September.

The Opposition Spokesperson said that although September had not yet ended and funds were not yet ready, it was important that blocked drains be cleaned as the Atlantic Hurricane season is now at its peak. She expressed that drainage failure and improper infrastructure were the leading causes of much of the flooding experienced by communities and roadways yesterday.

The Local Government Spokesperson said the Minister had declared that parishes were ready for the hurricane season, yet no allocation was made to Municipal Corporations ahead of the season. “This situation must be remedied without delay, as drain cleaning will minimize the impact of flooding from the already undersized municipal drainage systems,” she said.

Mrs. Neita Garvey said her survey of Municipal Corporations indicated that only two were able to do any cleaning utilizing an Emergency Funds allocation.  In calling on the Minister to intervene immediately, Neita Garvey said, “It is important that the Ministry of Local Government provide the money promised in July to assist the Municipal Corporations in conducting preventative work and put parishes in a better position to manage the rest of the hurricane season and respond to resulting emergencies”. 

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