Member of Parliament for Pinewood Khaalis Rolle announced in the House of Assembly yesterday the ongoing plans for a new storm water management system in Pinewood that will cost significantly less than the initial million dollar drainage system proposed last year.

Mr. Rolle confirmed that the Ministry of Works and Urban Development, and consultants who conducted a feasibility study in the area are presently working on the design and layout for the new drainage system.

“As of today, much progress has been made on a very complicated issue. Specifically, Mr. Speaker, the preliminary design with associated costing will be presented to the government within the next week or thereabout,” Mr. Rolle said.

He added, “A submission is currently before the Cabinet for approval in this regard, and I foresee no issue with this being approved in short order. Mr. Speaker, work is currently being carried out to deal with additional properties which are located along the route of the new drainage system. Mr. Speaker, we are very pleased with the progress being made on this particular project and we look forward to providing the people of Pinewood with a solution to an age-old problem.”

Nearly two years ago, Mr. Rolle along with representatives from Urban Renewal, the Ministry of Works, the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), and Social Services conducted an assessment in the Pinewood area following severe flooding due to hours of heavy rain.

Flooding has been an issue for Pinewood residence for decades. According to an analysis completed by Coastal Systems in Florida, some 2,000 homes in the constituency experience extensive flooding.

Although Mr. Rolle did not provide a detailed timeline as to when the new drainage system would be completed, he mentioned that the new storm water management structure will greatly improve the quality of life for residents in Pinewood Gardens.

“The psychology of people, the quality of life of constituents in Pinewood was severely impacted by this issue that has been in existence for quite a number of years. In fact, from the beginning of that development this was an issue, and it made me very interested in looking at solutions that could possibly solve this problem,” Mr. Rolle said.

“Mr. Speaker, I will continue to work with the member for Cat Island, Rum Cay, and Sal Salvador who’s also the minister of works and urban development to ensure that this solution gets to the people of Pinewood, a much needed solution to improve their quality of life,” he added.