Pinewood has been prone to heavy flooding for years. (File photo)
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
PINEWOOD MP Myles Laroda says he has been informed that construction works on a new drainage system for his constituency will begin shortly after the completion of a 600ft well for the area.
Plans for the drilling project were announced in May by Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears, who said his ministry was on an aggressive campaign to fix the drainage systems in flood-prone zones in the capital, including Pinewood Gardens.
“We will be introducing for the first time the drilling in a pilot area of Pinewood of a 600-foot well,” Mr Sears said during a press conference at the time.
“The only agency [that] has experience with that is the Water and Sewerage Corporation at their Gladstone Road water treatment facility.
“So, that is something we have never applied in the civil design of drainage, and it will be piloted this year.”
Pinewood has been prone to heavy flooding for years.
In 2013, then area MP Khaalis Rolle said a new drainage system for the area could cost the government as much as $13m.
He started plans for the new drainage system, however, the initiative was never carried out under the last Christie administration.
In August 2019, former area MP Reuben Rahming said more drains would be installed in the area, but warned drains are not a “panacea” for the issue.
At the time, he estimated $10m was needed to address the flooding issue in Pinewood — money which he said could not be allocated at the time.
When asked for an update on drainage plans for Pinewood yesterday, Mr Laroda, who is also the state minister with responsibility for disaster preparedness, said: “I spoke with the minister of works about the matter. Without a definite plan, I was told that once the 600 feet test well is finished, work should commence ‘shortly thereafter.’”
Comments
themessenger 2 years, 2 months ago
More taxpayer money being pissed away trying to bail out, pun intended, Frankie's Folly only there's a hole in the bucket. Which is running out fastest, the Pinewood water or our money?
moncurcool 2 years, 2 months ago
Amazing how the snake is allowed to slither away scott free and not held accountable.
Sickened 2 years, 2 months ago
I'm pretty sure a 10ft well which is always full of water won't hold anymore water than a 600ft well that's always full of water. Unless they find an area in Pinewood that is 600ft above sea level or a big empty cave hole, I don't think this well will make much difference, no matter how deep they drill it.
Sickened 2 years, 2 months ago
and if that well happens to be bone dry in-between downpours, I hope they have a VERY secure cover over it because if someone falls down it there is no surviving and little chance of retrieving the body.
Sickened 2 years, 2 months ago
when I was a child one of my friends fell into one of these poorly covered drainage wells - about 10ft down - and they were in there for over 3 hours.
sheeprunner12 2 years, 2 months ago
Frankie got away with murder in Pinewood.
This new regime will find more victims.
ThisIsOurs 2 years, 2 months ago
"spoke with the minister of works about the matter. Without a definite plan, I was told that once the 600 feet test well is finished, work should commence ‘shortly thereafter.’”
What does he mean without a definite plan? Shouldnt there be a plan if they're going to invest upwards of 10 million? The plan starts with the budget and timeline for the test well, then the plan says without this test well we experience x amount of flooding with y inches of rain in area-a through area-c. The test well will take 2 months to build. The test well is built to hold so many gallons of water. Here are the quality standards for the well: it should be surrounded by a fence, the fence should be 9ft tall, the base of the fence should be secured by concrete, there should be 5 danger of drowning signs around the well etc etc. If our plan functions as expected with the defined volume of rain, we should see flooding eliminated in area-a through area-c. We will then build 4 more wells for area-d through area-f to add to the test pool. Within a year we expect to have 10 built. If the test of the first well does not go as planned we will examine the results and adjust. This process should take 3 months. That's a plan. It may not be the best or most effective but it's a plan. It's a starting, living directive for a path to success.
Without a plan what do you expect?
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
Get the very corrupt and greedy Snake to pay for it. And there's so much more he should be made to pay for.
Flyingfish 2 years, 2 months ago
How about Flood and Hurricane Planning being made standard. With Maps that are easily accessible to show where you should and shouldn't build.
tribanon 2 years, 2 months ago
Town Planning officials have had those detailed topography maps you speak of for many decades showing land elevations and areas prone to flooding throughout New Providence and the Family Islands. But it seems certain government officials can always be much too easily 'financially rewarded' for letting real estate developers( like the very greedy you know who) get away with developing and selling flood prone land and even swamp land.
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