The Tribune

By Neil Hartnell

Tribune Business Editor

nhartnell@tribunemedia.net

More than half of New Providence’s roads are threatened by flood damage, an Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) report is warning, with The Bahamas facing an up to $425m financing shortfall on investment in nationwide road infrastructure.

The multilateral lender, in a report accompanying its $80m loan to develop “climate-resilient transport infrastructure” and reduce the disruption caused by “recurrent flooding” in Nassau and wider New Providence, asserted that “limited zoning regulations” and inadequate drainage and flood management systems have left Bahamians increasingly exposed during hurricanes and heavy rainfall.

Project documents, seen by Tribune Business, also disclose that some 2 percent of the island’s 3,000 drainage wells are already “ineffective” due to the proximity of fresh or groundwater tables, which makes it impossible for heavy rainfall to soak away and results in heavy localised flooding in certain areas of New Providence.

Asserting that the financing, which will receive a $20m injection from the Government to take the total funding to $100m, will benefit all of New Providence’s 296,522 residents through enhanced road infrastructure and reduced flooding, the IDB report said the project aims to cover “50 percent of the climate-related investments” needed by the Bahamian capital and 5 percent “of the infrastructure gap”.

Some $11m will be directed to upgrading Bahamix, the Ministry of Works’ asphalt-producing division, which frequently encounters “operational inefficiencies” and other constraints caused by regular breakdowns of “old machinery”, with its pavers said to have been out of service for 18 and 36 months, respectively.

Clay Sweeting, minister of works and Family Island affairs, did not respond to Tribune Business calls and messages before press time last night, but the report added that Bahamix’s main front-end loader has also been offline for seven months with “frequent downtime” also impacting the operation’s other equipment and leading to “inadequate road maintenance”.

The Government recently unveiled Bahamix’s new Board of Directors, headed by attorney Owen Wells, and its new Fire Trail Road West offices - developments that are likely to have been mandated by IDB in return for providing the financing. The moves are designed to give the agency greater independence and autonomy.

Besides the $11m headed to Bahamix, the IDB papers seen by this newspaper disclose that a further $24m has been earmarked for two frequently flood-prone and stricken locations - Pinewood Gardens and downtown Nassau. With $15m allocated for improving the residential community’s drainage systems, and $9m directed to similar upgrades in the Shirley Street and East Bay Street areas, these projects combined will consume more than one-third of the total funding.

“Enhancing the resilience of the island’s infrastructure is crucial for the reliability of transport systems, essential for economic and social activities and citizens’ daily life, maintaining access to key destinations such as employment, healthcare and education, while fostering productivity and economic growth,” the IDB said of Nassau and New Providence’s current woes.

“A recent ‘Blue Spot Analysis’ for New Providence that considered flood hazards from pluvial and coastal sources indicates increasing flood susceptibility for the road network and drainage systems under climate change (CC), particularly for areas along main thoroughfares and in residential communities.

“Specifically, the study highlights that 51 percent of New Providence’s road network is at risk of flood damage. Consequently, it emphasises the need for proactive flood management strategies, including infrastructure adaptation and enhancement of natural flood defences like nature-based solutions (NbS) and sustainable drainage systems (SuDS).”

The IDB study reiterated that The Bahamas is among the most vulnerable nations in the world due to its exposure to sea level rise and storm surges, with 80 percent of its landmass just one metre above sea level. It added that rising temperatures and increased rainfall demand that this nation make increased investments to enhance infrastructure investments.

“These contribute to The Bahamas' estimated $360-$425m road transport infrastructure investment gap, plus an additional $68m for climate resilience,” the IDB said, referring to a 2022 report by the consultants, Castalia. “The transport sector is especially exposed, with frequent flooding causing disruptions to mobility and accessibility to destinations, particularly for vulnerable populations and public transit users.

“Inadequate storm water management affects road corridors, homes (residential communities), businesses and government services…. According to the IMF, securing physical assets through public investment in climate resilience and adaptation has the potential to increase GDP by 5.5-6.8 percent, highlighting the direct connection between bolstering resilience and the nation's overall economic well-being.

“Additionally, a recent study estimates that economic losses due to damages from coastal flooding in The Bahamas’ road network exceed US$165m for a return period of five years.” These “losses” were said to be associated with “high risk coastal” roads, and the repair and replacement costs caused by flooding and erosion.

The IDB report added that New Providence is suffering from the “insufficient capacity of drainage and flood management urban systems to handle increased rainfall intensity, creating vulnerability of the road network to extreme weather”.

It warned: “Significant challenges are experienced by its citizens due to the island high ridges and low-lying valleys, which trap stormwater run-off, resulting in inefficiency of traditional roadway drainage solutions - consisting of pipes, drainage wells and ditch systems - that drains both the road corridor and adjacent properties.

“The expansion of urbanisation has reduced the natural drainage, percolation and water retention of the natural topography leading to significant effects for residential areas, commercial spaces and transportation infrastructure. This expansion has not been paired with adequate roadway drainage system upgrades…., resulting in frequent flooding.

“Roads often experience early deterioration as water accumulates on the road surface, leading to erosion and weakening of the base layers, causing cracks, potholes and other forms of pavement defects. Flooding also exacerbates maintenance issues, as flood-induced stress on the road structure can result in accelerated deterioration in a short period,” the IDB report continued.

“Moreover, the groundwater of New Providence is influenced by adjacent tidal elevations, which have been rising along with sea level predictions. This situation has rendered around 2 percent of the existing 3,000 drainage wells ineffective, given the low land elevation relative to the groundwater table.”

Turning to the specific flooding problems of Pinewood Gardens, the IDB report added: “The eastern section of New Providence is densely developed, comprising a mix of residential and commercial properties. Due to limited zoning regulations in The Bahamas, land use has evolved in an unplanned manner, resulting in many highly developed areas with minimal remaining permeable surfaces.

“This reduction in permeable ground has significantly reduced the area's natural infiltration capacity, contributing to increased and recurrent flooding. In Downtown Nassau, numerous drainpipes connect catch-pits on one side of the street to drainage wells on the opposite side. Additional shallow pipes and trenches convey stormwater directly to the sea.

“However, the shallow nature of these systems leads to frequent utility conflicts. Utilities are often routed through or across the stormwater infrastructure, reducing flow capacity and complicating maintenance efforts,” the papers added.

“The Pinewood Gardens subdivision… experiences the most severe and recurrent flooding in the city. This subdivision was developed in the 1960s before regulations on drainage systems, road grading or lot elevation were in place. The area currently includes a mix of drainage pipes, wells, a retention pond and swales. Despite these measures, the neighbourhood remains highly vulnerable to flooding.”

As for Bahamix, the IDB report said the Government’s annual Budget allocations for road maintenance have ranged from $9m-$13m over the past decade. However, the asphalt paving unit is held back by “inadequate and old machinery; institutional capacity deficits; and inadequate administrative and operational facilities”.

“Both asphalt pavers have been out of service for several months, 18 and 36, respectively, while the main front-end loader has been down for seven months, with frequent downtime also affecting other equipment like the milling machine and truck,” the IDB report revealed.

“Bahamix is a manufacturing and service-oriented division of the Ministry of Works. It specialises in the production of asphaltic concrete, supplying asphalt to both public and private sector projects. The plant has an average annual output of approximately 50,000 tons.

“The Bahamix workforce consists of approximately 50 employees, distributed across subsections: Administration, stores, plant crew, laboratory, paving support staff and paving crew. Currently, administrative and laboratory operations are conducted in trailers that were initially intended as temporary facilities,” it added.

“These have now been in use for 17 years. Although some renovations have been undertaken to improve working conditions, the facilities remain inadequate to meet the operational needs of the staff.

“The programme will finance the construction of a permanent administrative block and a warehouse to store equipment and materials on the existing premises. During the site visit, it was also observed that Bahamix lacks environmental, health, and safety (EHS) procedures for plant operations.”