Dear Editor,

In 2003, a major flood in the community of New River, St Elizabeth, resulted in a mass evacuation of almost ninety per cent of its residents. The years leading up to this disaster were not spared from similar aquatic scourges, but were a confirmation of New River’s endemic flooding problem. Flooding in New River is an inevitable consequence of its geographic location. It is located in the wetlands of Black River morass and is a catchment for precipitation rushing down the hillsides of Nassau, Santa Cruz and Don Figueroa Mountains.

However, severe flooding there results from a lack of political commitment by elected MPs, the usual corruption and disorganisation of local agencies, and the absence of social activism on the part of community members.

The New Riverans seem to have relegated their expectations of the local government to a single desire, which is that the massive drains that run through the community are cleaned around mid-March when the rainy season begins. Around this time the lives and security of the residents are placed on one side of a balancing scale and the price of a backhoe and a truck on the other side. The price of the backhoe and the truck frequently weighs more than the lives/livelihoods of the residents, the drains are clogged and residents are left to hold their babies above flooded streets in frantic desperation. Some residents are lamenting that after paying their taxes, the National Irrigation Commission has written to them, demanding that they pay drainage charges owed to the commission. Charges they cannot afford and should not be blackmailed to pay! Who is responsible for cleaning these drains?

Most New Riverans are small-scale and subsistence farmers. Therefore, they cannot adequately confront the consequences of severe flooding. Drain cleaning is not an ultimate preventive measure, but will significantly reduce flooding. The Office of Disaster Preparedness and Emergency Management, through its Building Disaster Resilient Communities programme and the local Social Development Commission, are working collectively to create a Community Emergency Response Team in New River. While this is commendable, it is more pragmatic to invest in preventive measures at this time. The more proactively one addresses the core issues at hand, the better. We cannot afford the consequences of policies built on the principle of reactivity. We must act swiftly to protect the residents of New River. Clean the drains! It is their only request.

Craig Dixon

craig.dixon11@gmail.com