I watched with gut-wrenching pain, the horror stories of people whose homes were damaged by the torrential rains in Kingston on Friday, September 19, 2025. The videos of cars being washed away and bundled together in flooded roads were scary.
It is well-known that nature expresses her wrath ever so often. As a real estate developer and project manager, I have found that one of the most difficult stages in the application process is providing credible models on the 7, 30, and 100-year return of rainfall analysis to satisfy the National Environmental and Planning Agency (NEPA), the National Works Agency (NWA) and the Manchester Municipal Corporation (MMC). I have been put through the wringer trying to do developments in large open spaces in rural Manchester and have had to fight tooth and nail to get approvals.
In theory, being put through such stress is what the developers should expect to undergo, but in my assessment, the agencies have been overly harsh with my submissions, and I have often concluded, as well as been told that if I just “greased some palms”, I would get through. Indeed, on one occasion in 2013, a technical officer from one the above-named agencies called me and told me that he could make all my troubles go away, if I gave him “70,000 reasons”. After I recovered from a bout of laughter, he wryly said “okay make it fifty”. I rebuffed his request and reported the matter to the head of the agency with which he worked. Despite my reporting that an employee had sought to extort me, my troubles did not go away, they only increased. Over the next several months, I was required to do additional engineering tests costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and make repeated submissions of the application.
Despite my reporting that an employee had sought to extort me, my troubles did not go away, they only increased. Over the next several months, I was required to do additional engineering tests costing hundreds of thousands of dollars and make repeated submissions of the application.
Kingston is becoming an urban planning disaster area
The disaster experienced in Kingston on September 19, 2025, resulting from two continuous hours of heavy rain, was not just as a consequence of the volume of water that was dumped on the streets and in people’s property; the disaster was, to a great extent, the result of natural waterways being intercepted with buildings; vegetation cover being removed and inadequate provision made to take storm water to natural gullies and manmade waterways, as well as poorly maintained drains. The proliferation of high-rise buildings that have been erected makes the danger path irreversible. Simply put, any building which poses a danger (or has proved to be a danger) will continue to do so unless demolished and the area restored or engineered. The likelihood of that is almost nil.
Four questions must be asked in relation to some of the major development:
- What engineering analysis went into the proposed development?
- What due diligence did the approving agencies exercise?
- What factors (technical, financial, political) were considered by the approving agencies?
- Given the damage that homeowners, businesses, motorists, and pedestrians have suffered, who should be held accountable?
Given what has been experienced, with a mere two hours of rain, it is time that we pause to assess what has happened and what can be done to reduce the likelihood of recurrence. The agencies responsible for development and building approvals are all located in the ministry headed by the Prime Minister. In my opinion, this is a moment for visionary and custodial leadership. The municipal authorities also have a serious and fiduciary role to play.
The agencies responsible for development and building approvals are all located in the ministry headed by the Prime Minister. In my opinion, this is a moment for visionary and custodial leadership. The municipal authorities also have a serious and fiduciary role to play.
The current situation must be seen as one in which all the questions about sustainable development are asked and answered. There is possible justification for revisiting approvals granted and there is certainly an urgent need to ensure far greater due diligence in the approval process. One resident, who lives in Trafalgar Park in New Kingston, and who was badly affected by the flooding, pointed to an apartment located nearby which she claims is situated in the natural waterway and whose location resulted in stormwater being diverted, resulting in a dangerous path. We cannot ignore these realities.
One resident, who lives in Trafalgar Park in New Kingston, and who was badly affected by the flooding, pointed to an apartment located nearby which she claims is situated in the natural waterway and whose location resulted in stormwater being diverted, resulting in a dangerous path. We cannot ignore these realities.
Water Management
It has long been known that most of Jamaica’s rainfall occurs in the North, Northeast and Northwest while the South suffers from droughts. Several political administrations of both the Jamacia Labour Party (JLP) and the People’s National Party (PNP) have promised to deal with this problem and making potable water available to all Jamaicans is a promise made by both parties in the recently concluded election campaign. “Jamaica does not have a rainfall problem”, an engineer from the Water Resources Authority (WRA), once told me; “It has a distribution problem and to solve this problem we need engineering solutions”, he concluded.
“Jamaica does not have a rainfall problem”, an engineer from the Water Resources Authority (WRA), once told me; “It has a distribution problem and to solve this problem we need engineering solutions”, he concluded.
I live in an area of Mandeville where I can see (from my veranda) rain pelting the town of Mandeville, Penn Hill, Christiana, Bellfield, Porus, and St. Tolis. On many occasions I sit and watch and even pray, asking God to send some of rain my way and on too many occasions (including September 19 and 20, 2025) our area got just a drizzle. Several times each year I am forced to buy water for $28,000.00 for four thousand gallons. An engineering solution is needed to eliminate this painful reality for many households. I have disconnected my house from the National Water Commission lines since 2006 due to non-supply but bills still being received.
Mega millions of gallons of water were poured into Kingston and other areas on September 19, but water restrictions and costly water bills will continue to be the norm unless the pace of development is subjected to visionary and careful planning, including regulations on water harvesting and resources pumped into more adequate public water systems.
Canute Thompson is Professor of Educational Policy, Planning and Leadership, Pro Vice-Chancellor – Undergraduate Studies and Director of the Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning at The University of the West Indies, a social activist, and author of eight books and twenty journal articles.
Professor Thompson has earned several awards. Among them, are eight UWI Principal’s Awards – two for Best Publication (Article Category) in 2019 and in 2020 for his book, ‘Reimagining Educational Leadership in the Caribbean’; three for Most Outstanding Researcher (2020, 2021, and 2024); two in 2023 on behalf of the CCEP – for Research Activity generating the most funds and Research with the most Development Impact, and one in 2024 for Research Activity generating the most funds. In 2022 he was awarded a bronze medal in the Independent Publishers’ Book Awards, for his 2020 book, Education and Development: Policy Imperatives for Jamaica and the Caribbean.