Work underway to remove debris trapped in Sandy Gully barrier

 

Work has started to remove a massive pile of garbage that accumulated at an interceptor barrier in the Sandy Gully, ahead of the passage of Tropical Storm Melissa. 

 

The barrier, located at the mouth of the gully and Seaview Gardens, has trapped several truckloads of debris from several communities across Kingston and St. Andrew. 

 

Sandy Gully, the largest gully in the Corporate Area, connects to several smaller waterways that feed into Kingston Harbour. 

 

Michael McCarthy, Director of Clean Kingston Harbour, says the project is aimed at preventing waste from entering the Kingston Harbour.

 

"We have an extreme flush, which happened as a result of some rains that we got on the island. These rains have caused all the debris from communities in andn around Kingston to flush down into Sandy Gully, creating this massive pile up. We've been here since about 6 a.m. excavating and it feels as though we haven't even made a dent. This impact is showing us that the pollution on the island is so much greater than what we anticipate, especially being here in Kingston," he lamented.  

 

Mr. McCarthy said the aim of the Kingston Harbour cleanup project is to systematically stop trash from entering the Harbour by putting in barriers at the mouth of the gullies. 

 

"These barriers have been able to stop tons of waste from getting out and we hope to continue doing this," he said.