The Tribune

By NEIL HARTNELL

and Fay Simmons

Tribune Business Reporters

A $5.7m investment is needed to solve flooding and poor drainage in the 350-acre Perpall Tract and east Grove area of northern New Providence, an engineering study is estimating, with the planned new hospital not adding to these woes.

The Caribbean Civil Group’s January 2026 report, which was tabled in the House of Assembly last week alongside other studies and documents related to the second New Providence hospital, confidently asserted that the proposed 50-acre medical facility will not worsen flooding for nearby residents and communities because it will have its own, separate rainfall management system and site run-off.

The findings, which the Government is likely hoping will resolve residents’ concerns over the new hospital’s location, were released just ahead of last night’s public consultation over the Davis administration’s plans to invest $30m in developing the 147-home affordable housing subdivision, Premier Estates One, in close proximity within the Perpall Tract area. Some cynics have already branded it a “second Pinewood Gardens” due to flooding fears.

However, the Caribbean Civil Group study reassured that the second New Providence hospital will not exacerbate existing flooding and drainage issues. “A new hospital facility is currently under development within the immediate vicinity of the Perpall Tract drainage corridor. Given the scale and critical function of the facility, the project includes its own fully-engineered stormwater management system designed to retain and control run-off entirely within the hospital site.”

The report said the second New Providence hospital will have its own on-site stormwater “detention and storage infrastructure” featuring “controlled discharge systems” that will restrict peak rainwater flows to pre-construction conditions. The site will also be graded to prevent water flowing off, while there will also be a “self-contained drainage network that does not drain toward, nor rely on, the Perpall Tract open channels, culverts or retention pond”.

As a result, Caribbean Civil Group concluded: “Run-off from the new hospital site is hydraulically isolated from the Perpall Tract drainage system and East Grove area. The hospital development does not contribute to peak flows, channel loading or flooding conditions within the study area watershed described in this report.”

Of the $5.7m investment required to address drainage and flooding issues in Perpall Tract and the East Grove, the report estimated that $1.33m would be needed for culvert upgrades and $2m for enhanced road drainage, with the balance including $360,000 for the clearing of existing channels; $500,000 for rehabilitating existing retention ponds; a further $560,000 for coastal outfall improvements; and $950,000 for a new drainage pond.

Noting that the area has historically “been prone to localised flooding”, the Caribbean Civil Group report identified the existing problems as including homeowners “dumping” debris into the Chippingham drainage channel; “limited outfall capacity” at the coastal water discharge point on Saunders Beach; high groundwater levels; and “restricted access for routine maintenance and clearing of drainage channels”.

To remedy these weaknesses, the report called for vegetation removal and channel clearing in areas such as St Albans Drive and Ardastra Gardens to Chippingham Road, along with a “sustained focused education” campaign to persuade homeowners and businesses not to dump into the channel while reporting on culprits who do.

Existing culverts at St Albans Drive, Ferguson Road and Regional Road, as well as Bay Street, needed to be inspected and rehabilitated with any obstructions removed, while the creation of a “routine drainage maintenance programme” was also recommended. This, Caribbean Civil Group added, needs to be followed by “targeted infrastructure upgrades” that include improvements to culvert capacity and rentention ponds.

And, in the final phase, the engineering consultancy urged the construction of a new relief drainage channel, around 10 feet wide and 1.5 to two feet in height, plus enlarging the existing Saunders Beach outfall and further road drainage improvements.

Keith Bell, minister of housing and urban renewal, last night pledged that the Government will take steps to address long-standing flooding and drainage issues during the construction of new subdivision, ‘Premier at Adastra’.

Speaking to Tribune Business, he said the 30 acres of land transferred to the Ministry of Housing by the Water and Sewerage Corporation will be used to construct 147 affordable homes. 

Mr Bell added that the subdivision will be located off Perpall Tract accessible via Ferguson Road, and be bordered on its northern and southern boundaries by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company’s (BTC) corporate headquarters and offices, and New Providence’s second hospital, respectively.

“This will be our newest subdivision. This is called Premier at Adastra, and it is our newest, and it's off Perpall Tract, right beyond BTC,” said Mr Bell.

“We have identified the land. The land has been transferred to us from the Water and Sewerage Corporation. The Cabinet has agreed that we will put a new subdivision here, and they're going to have 147 homes - affordable homes for Bahamians.”

Mr Bell said there is an overall drainage plan for the area to mitigate the flood concerns of nearby residents, including expanding and improving the existing drainage system and introducing retention points to manage water flow. 

“There is an overall drainage plan, not just for our subdivision, not just for the hospital, but for the entire area stretching from Eastern Marina and Highland Terrace all the way to Chippingham, all the way to Ardastra, all the way to Perpall Tract. All of these areas will be covered by that,” said Mr Bell.

“We do have a current system of drainage connections inside there, but of course it has to be expanded. It has to be improved, and of course we’re going to create retention points. As for our subdivision, we’re going to ensure that no run-off of water in our area actually goes into any other area. They’re not going to be impacted, and that is why we’re putting in retention points.”

During the public consultation and hearing on the Premier Estates project, as part of the process for obtaining its certificate of environmental clearance (CEC) approval, residents raised concerns about chronic flooding in the Perpall Tract area. 

Mr Flowers said that while he is pleased the Government is taking steps to address the housing shortage on New Providence, there are concerns about how new developments - the second hospital and the Premier Estates subdivision - will increase population density and water run-off, potentially making the flooding and drainage problems worse for the community.

“The Government is doing an excellent job by bringing the project to EIA and hearing from the residents, but it’s widely known that in the Perpall Tract area there’s a lot of flooding and there are a lot of drainage issues,” said Mr Flowers.

“And so the Premier concerns revolve around what the Government is doing to relieve the existing concerns of residents, particularly as both the hospital and the Premier Estates subdivision will compound the density in the area, and particularly the run-off of the water in the area.”

Mr Flowers said flooding has a serious impact on nearby residents, and raised concerns about the financial burden, adding that those who have invested in their homes could face higher insurance premiums and more expensive repairs because of the persistent flooding.

“From the public infrastructure standpoint, you can see that at least sometimes two to three feet of water stays there for days at a time. And so it’s difficult not only from a transit perspective, but also from an economic perspective, in terms of residents who have invested significantly in structures that now may face increased insurance prices as well as increased renovation costs,” he said.