Improper Disposal of Garbage Clogging Drains

The improper disposal of garbage by some residents is being blamed as one of the reasons for extensive flooding in parts of St. Andrew and St. Thomas on Sunday, during the passage of tropical storm Elsa.

Member of Parliament for St. Andrew East Rural, Juliet Holness, is calling for greater public education and urges political representatives to take steps to tackle the issue.

While some drains need cleaning, the Member of Parliament says illegal and improper disposal of garbage also impacted the flooding. She points to a situation in her constituency in the Bull Bay community, where residents reportedly dumped garbage in the drain after it was cleaned

A section of the shoreline, just beside the gully in the Bamboo River, is lined with hundreds if not thousands of plastic bottles and other waste materials.

Prime Minister Holness on Tuesday said it would cost the government some 443 million to clean and clear roadways and drains of silt and debris as a result of tropical storm Elsa.