AT LEAST one resident of Downey Gap, Bank Hall, St Michael, is disappointed with the work done under the Bank Hall Drainage Improvement Project.The $750 000 project carried out last year involved the installation of 300 metres of concrete drain from Braithwaite’s Road to Skeete’s Road, Bank Hall. But resident Tyrone Sandiford is less than impressed with the quality of work.He claimed that while the drain has alleviated flooding problems, some of the work was not properly done, and debris such as rocks left behind had now fallen into the drain, blocking the flow of water. Also, backyards had not been repaired and there was no clean-up of the area after the year-long work was completed.Sandiford, who has been living in the area for 47 years, said he had been complaining to the Drainage Unit about these problems but none have been rectified.He said he asked the workmen to build a concrete path behind his house to prevent mud and water from flowing into the drain. But Sandiford said this was done so haphazardly that the concrete had already started to crack, and all the marl and stones were washing out into the drain.He pointed to several stones in the drain that were blocking the flow of the water.“I understand that the Ministry of Public Works is saying that they don’t have any paling [galvanised sheets] to repair the backyards. How can Government say they don’t have any paling? A carpenter even came out here to work and he said he could not do anything because he did not have nails,” he charged.Sandiford further stated that the Drainage Unit had made a mistake in not installing a pipe in front of his house to channel water into the drain. He said that when rain fell water came down rapidly in front of his house and seeps under a broken culvert, which had started to break away.He also pointed to several huge pipes, which were supposed to be used on the project but were not, yet were lying abandoned.“The residents have been asking for the area to be cleaned up. This is several months that the project was completed, but all of this material is still lying here,” he said.When contacted, Keith Barrow, director of Drainage in the Drainage Division, confirmed that Sandiford had complained about the conditions in his backyard and the division had responded by sending a contractor to his home to fix the problem. Subsequent to that, Sandiford also complained about the broken slab and an inspector was sent to look at it, said Barrow. He said the contractor who did the work would be sent back to rectify the problem. As to the clean-up needed for the area, Barrow said this would be done shortly. Debushing and the clearing of rocks and garbage thrown into the drains will be undertaken.Barrow also said that a carpenter would be returning to the district to fix the backyards in need of repair, and thereafter they hoped to undertake a regular clean-up of the area.
