Jamaica Gleaner

On the brink of disaster

Harbour Drive residents vulnerable as floodwater regularly steals their properties

ONE OF Jamaica’s major internatio­nal partners has indicated that a US$2.3-million project it financed to help prevent flooding in the east Kingston community of Harbour View was completed without any “design failures”.

But that assertion by the World Bank is of very little comfort to Derrick Henry and other residents of Harbour Drive whose homes are on the verge of collapse because of widening soil erosion they blame on the project.

Henry lost two of his dogs on Wednesday after heavy rains from Hurricane Beryl caused their kennel in his backyard to crumble into an open, unpaved gully that was dug up behind his home as part of the project.

During an assessment the following day, he noticed that the back of his house was precarious­ly perched above the gully without much structural support.

“What I am trying to do now is clear out everything from ‘round the back [bedroom] and put them in the living room so that just in case it tears down we have something saved,” said Henry.

“Nobody nuh care ‘bout we … nobody nuh come fi check if we dead or alive,” one elderly woman chimed in.

The Management of Slope Stability in Communitie­s (MOSSAIC) project was developed and implemente­d in 2014 by the Office of Disaster Preparedne­ss and Emergency Management (ODPEM) and the National Works Agency (NWA), respective­ly, to shield residents from landslides. It involved the constructi­on of steep, narrow open drains, some in a step formation, to collect runoff water in a controlled manner, and take it to a soakaway system, according to the memorandum of understand­ing between the two government agencies.

UNSTABLE SLOPES

Harbour View was one of four communitie­s selected because of frequent landslides triggered by unstable slopes and a significan­t rise in the number of informal settlement­s in the hills above, authoritie­s said.

However, the Harbour View Citizens Associatio­n (HVCA) complained that the drainage system was improperly designed, causing floodwater­s from subsequent rainfall events to “overwhelm” the drains and soakaways.

They complained, too, that the project remains largely incomplete.

Rainfall events since the project was ‘completed’ in November 2015 have resulted in major flooding along Harbour Drive, including the collapse of 16 retaining walls and other property damage, the HVCA reported.

Henry’s retaining wall was washed away in 2020.

“It wasn’t a hurricane, it was just some heavy rains,” he recounted.

The residents took their grouse directly to the World Bank in 2015 and again in 2022, triggering a review of the project, the multi-national agency acknowledg­ed in a letter dated June 29, 2022.

It said that based on the technical review conducted by an internal team in 2015, “it was concluded that there were no design failures”.

“And any work conducted at the time of project implementa­tion were deemed appropriat­e from a technical standpoint to address slope stability and heavy rainfall,” said the letter seen by The Sunday Gleaner.

“Based on the review of the project’s legal documents, it was concluded that there are no outstandin­g legal obligation­s relating to this matter.”

Despite this finding, the internatio­nal agency said the complaint by the residents was “a serious matter” that requires the “immediate attention” of the Jamaican government.

The World Bank said it forwarded the complaint to the government “and requested that they contact the Harbour View Citizens Associatio­n with an update regarding the matter and the intended next steps”.

LIVES ARE AT RISK

Sandra Hall, president of the HVCA, took issue with the findings of the World Bank’s internal team, saying they should have detected that floodwater­s from the project should have been channelled away from houses.

“Many persons from past executives advised against that plan, but no one listened and here’s the end result. People’s lives are at risk, properties badly damaged and still no solution,” Hall said yesterday.

“From a layperson’s standpoint, the project was not properly executed.”

The worst part, Hall said, is that amid the financial, emotional and social distress the project has caused citizens, there has been no update from the NWA or the government on any proposed corrective action.

“They are silent on the matter. A total shame and disgrace and disrespect to citizens,” she charged.

The NWA acknowledg­ed in 2021 that in the case of the Harbour View leg of the project, “much more work” was needed in order to significan­tly mitigate the impact of flooding, erosion and other natural occurrence­s. As a result, the NWA said the Government was crafting a plan to complete the u-drain and major drainage feature across the main road, near Caribbean Cement Company.

“These together will assist in mitigating the impact of flooding as well as erosion in the location of the works,” the NWA said.

The agency also told lawmakers in Parliament that $80 million had been allocated through the South Coast Highway Improvemen­t Project to finance some of the corrective measures.

However, up to late yesterday, E.G. Hunter, chief executive officer of the NWA, did not respond to questions submitted by The Sunday Gleaner on Friday requesting an update on the project.

Member of Parliament for East Kingston and Port Royal, Phillip Paulwell, where Harbour Drive is located, declined to comment on the finding of the World Bank’s internal team, explaining that he was not involved in the design of the Harbour View leg of the flood mitigation project.

“What I do know is what I see every time it rains … flooding,” said Paulwell, detailing his efforts over the last nine years

He expressed “deep disappoint­ment” over what he described as the continued neglect of critical drainage repairs on Harbour Drive.

Paulwell said the passage of Hurricane Beryl underscore­s the urgent need to address the complaints by the residents.

Henry, 59, who has lived in Harbour View for 47 years, said he hopes the issues are resolved before the loss of any human life.