Dalling Street, McNeil Land plagued by clogged drains and rising flood water
Published:Thursday | October 23, 2025 | 12:08 AMMickalia Kington/Gleaner Writer
Western Bureau:
For residents of Savanna-la-Mar, Westmoreland, the rain hasn’t stopped, and neither have the floods. In Dalling Street, McNeil Land, and surrounding areas, clogged drains and rising waters have turned everyday life into a battle against mud and water.
Resident Siana Moodie-Brooks, from McNeil Land, said flooding has become a recurring nightmare for her family.
“During the flooding, the water would come up almost to the doorway,” she recalled. “You know the yard is a mess. Anything outside is destroyed as well. You cannot go outside to access anything, so you have to stay on the inside.”
She added that the recovery from previous floods has been slow, as the area remains saturated and prone to flooding, even after light rain.
“We are still trying to recover, because at the back where we live there is what they call the mangroves, and it is still flooded,” she said. “So the least rain we get, we are having problems with water coming in the yard space.”
Moodie-Brooks believes poor drainage and a weakened riverbank are to blame for the persistent flooding.
“During the flooding, I get to understand that the riverbank (has) a problem there,” she said. “Maybe they could do some form of river training or something. If something is done from that angle, then we will have less flooding.”
The river she refers to is a culvert within the community known as Margaret Bridge. On days where there is heavy rainfall, rough waters consume the area and make it impassable.
Over on Dalling Street, resident Easton Scott said the community’s drainage problem is largely man-made.
“The flooding is not mainly on the road but in the yards,” he explained. “Most of the people are taking up more land space, and then they block off some of the drains. So eventually the water becomes populated on the road.”
He said the issue is made worse because people in the community know who is blocking the drains but remain silent.
“The water usually goes out, but now the water eventually turns on the people now,” Scott said. “They know the man that block the drain and the water turns back on everybody, and they don’t talk. That’s where the thing gets sticky.”
The rising water has even interrupted construction work at his home.
“Right now, I have a foundation that I dig, and when I start to lay block, there comes water for me,” he said. “All the water, now, is full up in the foundation. If I dry here now and put on a little work today, tomorrow again I have to call up a man to come and dry here again. It cost me $3,000 a day.”
SOAKED HOME
Meanwhile, Casman Williams described how the water moves through his property, forcing him to live in a soaked home constantly.
“You can’t clean one little part ... go through where the culverts are blocked up,” he said. “So the water comes through now, way into your house and when you wake up and step down, you step into water. You have to open the door to make the water run right through. That’s how bad it is right now.”
He noted that much of the flooding comes from the uncleaned main drain, spreading across the surrounding properties.
Carl Nunes, another resident of Dalling Street, explained how these clogged drains creates problems for him as well.
“My yard floods, too; even sometimes the water comes inside my house. On the back part of this road, we have a garage, even the garage floods very badly.”
Nunes said recent maintenance work has provided some relief.
“Now they are fixing the bridge down there and ‘mucking out’ all the drains so the water can run away quicker,” he said. “When we get a little rain, it’s not bad. But before, when the drains weren’t clean, the flooding affected the whole area.”
The flooding in the downtown area, according to residents, are tied to the long-term neglect of drainage systems, which only worsens each time heavy rain falls. For many in Savanna-la-Mar, managing the water has become a daily struggle, and residents continue to urgently call out for proper infrastructure investment.
BRACING FOR MELISSA
With Tropical Storm Melissa expected to hit Jamaica in the coming days, locals are bracing for potentially worse conditions, hoping that the recent work will at least reduce the immediate impact on homes and livelihoods. As for personal preparations, residents believe their attempts would be in vain.
“The flooding comes every time it rains hard, and it spreads out on the land,” Williams said. “We just have to watch it and prepare as best we can.”
Scott shared the same sentiment, saying, “Better we just watch and see. And (leave it) to salvation. Can’t do nothing more.”
EXTENSIVE WORK NEEDED
Contractor Dave Goodwill, who recently supervised the drainage project on Dalling Street on Tuesday, said the community’s flooding problems won’t end anytime soon unless more extensive work is done.
“Because the drains down there aren’t cleaned,” he said. “Even though I installed this new drain here, it means that flooding will still take place, because the drains need to be cleaned.”
He explained that his team had replaced a collapsed culvert with a new plastic pipe and cast a slab over it for protection. However, he noted that the main issue extends beyond that repair.
“This won’t stop the flooding from taking place,” he said. “It’s just a way to help with the water. So this is to get the water off the road, but then the problem lies with the drains that haven’t been cleaned.”
Goodwill said the town’s low elevation complicates the issue.
“Sav-la-Mar is a very flat, flood-prone area, and it’s also below sea level,” he noted. “Even though the parish council is trying to do their best, there’s not much they can do. If you dig a drain now and try to dig it deep, it goes below sea level.”
He added that the problem has persisted for years.
“These drains have not been cleaned in five or six years,” he said. “You don’t have to be naive or stupid to know that if you have flat areas and drains are not clean, flooding is going to take place.”