US$1 billion needed to revamp Jamaica's drainage network, says PM

 

Prime Minister Andrew Holness has said US$1 billion will be needed to redevelop the country's drainage network.

 

This is based on a study conducted by the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB).

 

Mr. Holness made the disclosure while responding to questions from opposition Members of Parliament in the House of Representatives on Tuesday.

 

Some of the areas prone to flooding include Marcus Garvey Drive in Kingston and communities in Clarendon.

 

Mr. Holness said the construction of the drains cannot be done from one budget.

 

He said "detailed engineering studies" have been undertaken and an effort will be made to allocate funding for the Marcus Garvey Drive project in the 2021/2022 estimates of expenditure.

 

"The preliminary estimate to do that drain is J$1.2 billion. So all the resources that we are dedicating to do the response to the Zeta tropical storm rains that we have had, if we had that resource, additionally, we could have taken it and built that main drain that is necessary. That's the level of expenditure. We will try to programme this in our next budget," he indicated.