The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

RESIDENTS of Pinewood Gardens should begin to see improvements in flooding as the Ministry of Works expands its drainage maintenance programme and prepares to install three lift stations designed to automatically remove stormwater from the community.

Works and Family Island Affairs Minister Clay Sweeting said yesterday that contractors have begun assessing drainage infrastructure across New Providence, starting in Pinewood, where flooding has long been a major problem.

Speaking during a site visit, Mr Sweeting said the ministry is combining routine drain maintenance with new technology to improve how drainage systems are monitored and managed.

"We're here starting the assessment of drains here in Pinewood, and we're ensuring that the drains are ready for the rainy season, but this is also an area where the lift station will be installed for Pinewood to help alleviate some of the flooding where at times it gets to a foot, foot and a half during the rainy season," he said.

Mr Sweeting said the ministry is introducing a digital work order system that will record when drains are cleaned while integrating smart drainage technology capable of detecting when drains become blocked or full.

He said the current work focuses on clearing drainage wells and maintaining existing infrastructure while preparations continue for the larger flood mitigation project.

Mr Sweeting explained that the lift stations would replace the need to use trucks to pump floodwater from affected areas, adding that the project introduces a more innovative solution to Pinewood's longstanding flooding problems.

"The people in Pinewood have been asking and have been requesting the government to take a serious look at flooding here in Pinewood, and I think it took new innovative solutions to do that. Drainage and drain wells only could do so much in a concentrated water-concentrated area such as Pinewood."

Mr Sweeting said contractors expect the lift stations to arrive in The Bahamas by the end of August, with trenching and drainage works scheduled to begin during the third week of the month.

"We would anticipate 12 months after that, we'd have all three lift stations installed here in Pinewood,” he said yesterday.

The lift stations will be located on Sapodilla Boulevard, Pigeon Plum Street and Jones Heights.

Assistant Engineer Mario Smith said Pinewood remains one of the island's most flood-prone communities, with some roads becoming impassable after heavy rainfall.

Mr Smith said the area around Sapodilla Boulevard experiences the community's worst flooding, noting that floodwaters can rise between 18 inches and two feet above the road surface, making travel impossible.

Mr Smith said there are about six drainage wells along the affected road and between 50 and 60 throughout Pinewood Gardens.

He said the ministry launched its drainage maintenance programme in April, dividing New Providence into 23 zones, each assigned to a contractor responsible for maintaining drainage wells and catch pits for one year..

Mr Smith said residents should notice significant improvements once the lift stations become operational, adding that the system will collect rainfall in a catchment area before automatically activating pumps once water reaches a certain level.

"The lift station then would once water reaches a certain level within that catchment, the lift station would activate and pump that water out and discharge it away from the area that is flooding to an area that can receive that rainfall."

He said the pumps will be most effective during periods of heavy rainfall when flooding is at its worst.

Pinewood Gardens has experienced severe flooding for decades, with heavy rain repeatedly damaging homes, destroying belongings and leaving roads underwater.