Barnswell blames NWA for flooding problem in Clarendon
Published:Friday | October 14, 2022 | 12:11 AMCecelia Campbell-Livingston/Gleaner Writer
The National Works Agency (NWA) came under fire at Thursday’s monthly sitting of the Clarendon Municipal Corporation as the councillor for the Hayes Division blasted their poor work in the parish.
Scean Barnswell said that the state agency’s failure to maintain the drainage network has put the area at severe risk of flooding.
“We must also let it be noted that there are absent NWA representatives from our monthly meetings, both at council and at our disaster meeting,” Barnswell added, noting that if representatives of the agency were present at the meetings, they would have been aware of the challenges being experienced in the parish.
He said that the issue goes back as far as 2020.
Commenting on the recent flooding in the Woods area (between Bucknor and New Longville), Barnswell also called for the problem facing the Clarendon Central community to be addressed.
“Too much talk shop has been going on. I am hoping that the National Works Agency would put something more meaningful in that area, whether it’s some warning signs or floodgates. Whatever it is, there should be something along that corridor that would be able to warn and to sensitise unsuspecting motorists as it relates to what is happening in that section of the woods,” he said.
Councillor for Denbigh Division, Joel Williams, told Barnswell that a drainage project should have started in the Woods area some time ago, but the then Government had diverted the funds to Soursop Turn.
He implied that if the drainage work had been done, the current flooding issues could have been avoided.
This triggered a shouting match between the councillors as May Pen Mayor, who chairs the municipal corporation, banged his gavel repeatedly, calling for order.
Sticking to his stance when Barnswell called for evidence to substantiate his claim, Williams said that he would attend the next meeting with proof regarding his assertion.