The Ministry of Local Government and Rural Development is to allocate J$4 million to help address sewerage challenges in Falmouth, Trelawny.

The announcement was made by Portfolio Minister, Desmond McKenzie, who said that there is an agreement between the National Water Commission (NWC) and the Trelawny Municipal Corporation for continuous cleaning of the system.

“The Ministry will provide $4 million to the Municipal Corporation to assist in the cleaning [and] for hiring [a] truck to do the cleaning that is required to prevent flooding from taking place within the town of Falmouth with sewage,” he said.

The Minister pointed out that this is a temporary fix, as it will take some time to be completely rectified.

“A number of steps have been taken to try to alleviate the problem on a short-term basis, and I want to say that this is not a problem that can be solved overnight; it is going to take some time,” McKenzie noted.

He outlined that the issue has worsened over time and assured residents that the Government is committed to resolving the issue.

“Falmouth is a glorious place; it is one of our oldest and most prestigious towns, and it speaks a lot to the history of Jamaica. The Government of Prime Minister Andrew Holness will ensure that we do as best as we can to preserve the quality of Falmouth,” the Minister said.

He added that a meeting was held with Minister without Portfolio in the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation, Senator Matthew Samuda, along with the NWC and the Municipal Corporation, to discuss the sewerage issue.

“The meeting was a fruitful one, and arising out of that, a committee was set up among the Ministry of Local Government, the Trelawny Municipal Corporation, and the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation to look at [the] issues, and they have been meeting for a number of weeks,” the Minister said.