Residents sick of living in sewage

Feb 13, 2024

Although there were faint smells of detergent which was poured by residents at their gates, a pungent smell of raw sewage still enveloped areas of Duhaney Park yesterday, something residents say has been going on for almost a month.

"When this just started NWC [National Water Commission] came the first week and said that there were problems with the pipes. They said there were a lot of broken pipes so they are taking those out and putting in new ones. They started fixing those around Burroughs Avenue but nothing changed. They came a few times after and still nothing," said Sharon Williams, a resident and business owner.

"First there was grease and we washed that away, but it's the manhole that's the problem. Every avenue on Hemmings Way is experiencing it. If you look, this is morass and it stinks! In the day when water is gone you don't see it, but as evening when they turn on the water, it come up to the door way," said Williams.

Residents have placed blocks at the entrances of their dwellings, so that they can enter without stepping in the filth. But businesses still suffer.

"People can't open [their places] and we have to postpone round robin or gatherings that would drive the businesses because the smell a kill the people them. People cyaa live so, only di pig dem a Riverton mi know live so," said Williams, who added that residents have to keep the children indoors.

"We have to be putting drums and buckets on manholes, so people don't drive and splash, all mosquitoes we start have whole heap. Water bill come up to six or seven thousand dollars, so NWC have to come fix it cause dem know," said Margaret Harris, another resident.

Some residents theorise that the overflow is due to company disposing effluent in the sewer line. However, the company's owner has distanced himself from the claim. He told THE STAR that representatives of the NWC have visited him on multiple occasions with the police.

"The residents told me that the Water Commission people are saying that is me, where the cesspool trucks are parked in Patrick City, it is leading from there. They have investigated inside of the manhole here that leads to the NWC sewer and all he saw was around six inches of water. I don't dump sewage here. I use the NWC plant in Greenwich Farm, St Andrew," the man said.

Delano Williams, acting corporate public relations manager at the NWC, indicated that NWC is aware of the issue and is currently working to have it resolved.

"A section of the line is collapsed and the team hasn't fully ascertained the dimension of pipes that need to be replaced. The team was in the area yesterday, August 8, to commence clean up work with a cesspool emptier truck to suction the backed up waste. It might take repeat operations until we have the pipes completely fixed and we are ensuring that we do the necessary investigations to make sure there is no improper disposal of waste by private companies," said Williams.

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