WORKS and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears.
By LEANDRA ROLLE
Tribune Staff Reporter
lrolle@tribunemedia.net
THE government is considering relocating some roads and highways due to climate change impacts, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said yesterday.
He revealed this while reflecting on recent flooding events in Exuma.
“We have our experts reviewing the situation, but where you have –– as in some of our islands, including Exuma –– where you have a port on both sides of the road, and you have an unusual downpour of rain as happened two and a half weeks ago, the challenge is if you pump, where do you pump the water.”
“What we have to do, and this is what we’re doing within the ministry, is looking at the whole ecosystem of islands, especially in light of climate change. We have to make decisions based on evidence, and there may have to be relocation of certain roads, of certain highways or causeways are built which would have the elevation. These are matters that we are looking and reviewing because climate change is really a very clear and present danger for us in The Bahamas.”
Mr Sears said his ministry is also looking to improve infrastructure throughout the country.
“For example,” he added, “the University of The Bahamas, how could you have students walking across a highway to get to one building to the next and I’ve asked the ministry to design a footbridge. We travel all over the world and we see over the road, you have a footbridge that enables one to safely move to one side of the road to the next.”
Comments
bahamianson 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Hold on, when the fnm did it fritzgerald was up and down on saunders beach with busloads of people saying that the fnm was destroying trees. Upper hogwash! Also the fnm was criticized about building roads. The plp did the same with village road and now more roads. Let's see if fritzgerald and his busloads are going to protest. Oh, i forgot, fritzgerald is senior advisor to the prime ninister. My bad.
ThisIsOurs 10 months, 2 weeks ago
Poor Climate Change, it has become the "Hurricane Matthew" of the 2021 administrarion, every bad decision impact is being blamed on it.
"reflecting on recent flooding events in Exuma"
This Exuma flooding has been systemic, with Brave Davis and Captain Russell visiting this same island 10 years ago to assess impact of flooding due to sustained heavy rainfall.
Heavy rainfall is not new and it's not due to climate change it's normal tropical weather. The real problem is the poor Governmental planning that allowed construction in flood zones and construction to exacerbate flooding in low lying areas...prime example the Pointe. We are at risk of poor planning far more than any elusive climate change
killemwitdakno 10 months, 1 week ago
But not Grand Bahama Airport? ???
Dawes 10 months, 1 week ago
Thats right, Move West bay Street off the seaside. Then we can sell that land to foreigners so we can't see the sea. Also on the idea of a footbridge, sounds great until you realize that people won't use it and there will be no consequences by law.. So no point in wasting that money.
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