By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Staff Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

THE government is considering relocating some roads and highways due to climate change impacts, Works and Utilities Minister Alfred Sears said yesterday.

He revealed this while reflecting on recent flooding events in Exuma.

“We have our experts reviewing the situation, but where you have –– as in some of our islands, including Exuma –– where you have a port on both sides of the road, and you have an unusual downpour of rain as happened two and a half weeks ago, the challenge is if you pump, where do you pump the water.”

“What we have to do, and this is what we’re doing within the ministry, is looking at the whole ecosystem of islands, especially in light of climate change. We have to make decisions based on evidence, and there may have to be relocation of certain roads, of certain highways or causeways are built which would have the elevation. These are matters that we are looking and reviewing because climate change is really a very clear and present danger for us in The Bahamas.”

Mr Sears said his ministry is also looking to improve infrastructure throughout the country.

“For example,” he added, “the University of The Bahamas, how could you have students walking across a highway to get to one building to the next and I’ve asked the ministry to design a footbridge. We travel all over the world and we see over the road, you have a footbridge that enables one to safely move to one side of the road to the next.”