Residents spearhead

RESIDENTS OF Old Harbour Bay, St. Catherine have teamed up to clean sections of the Panton Gully, which extends southwards from the town of Old Harbour through their community to the sea, to prevent flooding of the area.

The project has received assistance from the International Federation of Red Cross Socie-ties (IFRC), which has donated US$2,500, and Jennifer Edwards, Member of Parliament for St. Catherine South West, who contributed $200,000.

This project falls under the Jamaica Red Cross Society's Community Disaster Prepared-ness Programme, which seeks to train residents in disaster management techniques.

According to Marcia Duvall, director of the St. Catherine Red Cross branch, the project aims to solve the flooding problem in the area once and for all.

Priority project

She points out that 19 residents of Old Harbour Bay were trained to become disaster managers in 1998 were introduced to hazard mapping which led to the identification of Panton Gully as a priority project.

Compton Campbell, co-ordinator of the project has been quoted by the Government's news agency, Jampress as saying that the work involves the removal of debris and garbage which has accumulated, and was almost at the same level as the bank of the gully.

The 58-year-old fisherman says he has no recollection of the last time the gully was cleaned, adding that the gully floor is being dug approximately 1 metre deeper than its current level and that temporary embankments will be built to prevent debris washing back into the gully.

"When this phase of the project is completed, more permanent retaining walls will be constructed as funds are made available," he notes.

Mr. Campbell expresses satisfaction at the level of co-operation being exhibited by the residents. "Persons have loaned us equipment, such as back hoe, for which we will be paying a minimum fee at a later date," he says. He said there was need for an ongoing education programme to make sure the gully is kept clean.

"We have to devise a maintenance programme so that the gully is kept in good condition. We will not be tolerating the practice of garbage being thrown into the gully," he declares, adding that the community's Disaster Committee was working on that programme.

He says that the committee hopes to offer incentives to persons who help to monitor the gully.

The Old Harbour Bay school is being called on to play its part in monitoring the activities of children, to make sure that they do not throw garbage in the section of the gully which is near the school gate.

Principal, Milton Wade, lauds the efforts of the wider community to clean the gully, noting that the entire school was often affected during heavy rainfall.

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