$197 million coastal protection project for Annotto Bay

The Annotto Bay coastline, in St Mary, is poised to get some much-needed attention as several entities have joined forces to undertake a J$197-million coastal protection and beach nourishment project.

The contract for the Annotto Bay Coastal Protection Beach Nourishment Project, was signed at a ceremony at the Jamaica Social Investment Fund's (JSIF) location in Kingston on Monday. The signatories included Omar Sweeney, JSIF's managing director; Norman Dunn, minister of state in the Ministry of Labour and Social Security and the member of parliament for St Mary South Eastern; and Anthony Sampson, operations director, S&G Road Surfacing Materials Limited.

The scope of the work includes the construction of two Groynes, which will function as a trap to hold the sand in place, and the placement of sand along 244 metres (800 feet) of the existing beach. This beach nourishment will extend 12 metres (40 feet) seaward from the existing slope.

"Most Jamaicans would know it (the Annotto Bay coastline) as that beautiful piece of beach that you see as you come out of the Junction heading east to Portland," said Sweeney. "What's not known, and persons from Annotto Bay will tell you, is that that landscape has changed significantly over the last couple of decades, especially more so as we bear the impacts of global warming, climate change and sea-level rise."

According to Sweeney, the project, which is a Disaster Vulnerability Reduction Project initiative, is slated for completion in June.

"It will protect the coastline from storm events, not just the day-to-day waves but it will also protect the coastline from storm events by installing specific scouring structures; the beach itself will be raised 1.5 metres. The final product will raise the reach approximately six feet above sea level," said Sweeney.