Wells challenge

THE MINISTRY OF TRANSPORT AND WORKS does not have the manpower to respond to infrastructural work involving dangerously exposed wells.

That has to go to outside contractors whose contracts are outstanding for almost a year.

The information came to light yesterday as the Deputy Prime Minister Santia Bradshaw and her team from the Ministry of Transport and Works took to the Well of the House of Assembly during debate on the Appropriation Bill, 2025.

Member of Parliament for St Michael North Davidson Ishmael was questioning the team on the issue of the wells, their geotagging and repairs, against a background of an exposed well in Well Gap, Cave Hill, St Michael, his constituency. He queried the ministry’s representatives on its internal resources to address such immediate safety concerns.

Andre Brice, acting senior technical officer in the Drainage unit, said the unit had a staff of two crews which dealt with any drainage complaints.

“From a well point of view, we have a two-year contract. We set up a two-year contract with private contractors who go out and clean wells, introduce wells where they’re needed, or, as in your case, fix damaged wells. Unfortunately, that contract came to end in March of last year. We are currently working to put back in another contract for the next two years so we could address all those matters,” he said.

Brice added that they were in the process of sending out acceptance letters after 24 contractors put in bids for the well contracts.

“We do not have the capacity within drainage to do infrastructure work. We still have to approach either the depot or we have to go to private contractors when it comes to infrastructure works. We only have staff that do maintenance,” he said.

Bradshaw said the ministry was in the process of doing things “differently”.

“I think we are all well aware, whether it is from representation from ministers, MPs, or even as we listen to Parish Speaks or the photos online, that clearly there is a better emergency response that can take place from the ministry in terms of its resources.

“So the short answer is that no, internally, we do not have the resources to be able to respond as quickly as we would like and the truth is that with so many areas, sometimes becoming a cause for concern, this is why these estimates we have basically said we need to be able to increase the provisioning of works by external persons under the guidance of the Ministry of Transport and Works drainage unit.”

Meanwhile Winston Walton, a resident of Well Gap, told a visiting DAILY NATION team yesterday that the well was very dangerous.

“That top old, that liable to give way and youth does run cross it so I got to mek the yout don’t run cross it cause it real dangerous. That hole could hold a big cow,” he said of the well in his district.

He said he kept it clean of water, debris and bush along with another man but he had seen children running across it.

“I would like to see something done about it. I does study if they (children) run pun top of it and they fall in,” he said. (AC) Please see also Pages 14 and 15 for more reports from Parliament.