The Public Works Department is now challenging Government to put key and necessary personnel and equipment in place to lift the standards and effectiveness of it. Photo: VINO/File

The Department is now challenging Government to put key and necessary personnel and equipment in place to lift the standards and effectiveness of it.

This was stated in the Department's 2011 report laid in the House of Assembly on December 17, 2012.

The report said a Roads Operations Manager is needed to develop and manage a comprehensive road and drain maintenance programme and a Geotechnical Engineer is necessary for field and laboratory testing of soil and rock material and a Hydrologist for the analyzing of all major watersheds and waterways throughout the territory to gather data. 

Those were the three key human resources that has had a void in the Public Works Department, the report stated.

The printed and circulated report states, “These positions are deemed necessary as the territory has reached a point where the method of infrastructure development needs to be revised. This is largely due to the availability of flat developable lands nearing its capacity and other areas being neither economically nor environmentally friendly for development. Consequently, developments in mountainous areas are on the rise. The perils of mountainous development include embankment stabilization, drainage issues and issues with the rock and soil type.” 

The report challenged that government agencies should be leading the change to ensure that the best advice is given with regards to the way properties are developed, primarily for government funded projects.

“The best advice requires comprehensive assessments and research of the property to determine limiting parameters for designs and construction.” stated the Public Works Department report, adding that as such the department has submitted requests to the department of Human Resources for the provisions of the new posts.