$5 mn allocated for monitoring of Palisadoes Mangroves

Activities under the Palisadoes Shore and Road Project will continue in the new fiscal year with another allotment of $5 million.

As outlined in the 2019/20 Estimates of Expenditure, now before the House of Representatives, the money will go towards the continued monitoring of mangroves by the University of the West Indies (UWI).

Being implemented by the Ministry of Economic Growth and Job Creation through funding from the Government of Jamaica and the China Exim Bank, the project seeks to make the corridor less susceptible to flooding, while also protecting the Kingston Harbour from storm surges.

The overall objective is to safeguard the integrity and viability of the investments made by the Government in the Palisadoes area, and ensure that citizens have reliable access between home, school, healthcare facilities and work.

Up to December 2018, revetment and road construction works, and waterline replacement have been completed. In addition, an environmental consultancy was undertaken, so too rehabilitation/revegetation of the mangroves.

The project was originally slated to run from July 2010 to June 2012 and following several extensions, it is now scheduled to end in February 2020.