With Operation Clean City, the cleaning of the Constitution River, and?? phase one of the Sunset Crest Project being among the Drainage Division’s major successes during the last financial year, Director of Drainage, Keith Barrow, is appealing to householders and developers to?? assist the Division in its?? bid to alleviate major flooding on the island.
Mr. Barrow stressed that with several other major projects, including the continued cleaning of water courses on the cards for the coming financial year, the support of stakeholders was critical to the department’s overall success.
"Obviously, we cannot guarantee that there will be no flooding, and it is important for the citizens to understand that. However, they can assist us in our work by putting garbage where it should be because garbage, including plastics and boxes, causes problems in the soakaways and in the storm water wells," he explained.
Adding that householders should also be careful in planning for residential construction by not blocking water courses, Mr. Barrow underlined that other developers should also be cautious about what they proposed in relation to drainage solutions.
??"All the storm water run-off which is generated on a property has to be disposed of on that property. It is against the law to allow storm water from a property to run into the public roads, because obviously, that would cause more problems for the public.
These are some of the things that persons would need to look at when they are planning their developments," the Drainage official advised.
In terms of available drainage solutions, Mr. Barrow said householders could either dig storm water wells for the disposal of run-off or put it into a retention area.
He, however, cautioned that storm water wells were solely for storm water, while sewage wells were for kitchen or toilet waste and the two should not be mixed at all.
"There are several solutions, and, if persons need any guidance or assistance they can contact the Drainage Division," he suggested.
Noting that applications made to Town Planning also had to be reviewed by the Drainage Division, Mr. Barrow disclosed that his department was in the process of preparing a brochure outlining those requirements to be made available to Town Planning.
"The idea is that persons who go in to make their applications, will find the brochures ??which will address?? our concerns. Hopefully, this will reduce the turn-around times for the applications where the Drainage Division is concerned," Mr. Barrow explained.
Describing the collaboration between these two departments as "absolutely important", the Director maintained: "The country is developing very quickly, in terms of physical?? development, and obviously where we can get these things right the first time, it saves everybody time and time is money."
Making it clear that the Chief Town Planner had a duty to ensure that applications met all the requirements before they were approved, Mr. Barrow stressed that when applicants largely did so at the outset, it?? significantly reduced the application review process.
His overarching advice to developers and householders embarking on construction, therefore, was to utilise the agencies, which were in place to assist them.
"The Drainage Division is not the only agency which participates in the application review process, there are others. So, if persons find out from those agencies what the requirements are at an early stage, then they can address them very early in the application process," he concluded.