Otto Carrington
Beetham Gardens residents are complaining about a persistent stench in their community which is emanating from a leaking wastewater line.
The residents also yesterday expressed concerns about the deteriorating condition of several other sections of the line, which runs through the area and ends at the Beetham landfill.
The leak, according to residents who spoke to Guardian Media, is located beneath a bridge in Phase 2.
The residents said raw faeces had been flowing into drains and an overwhelming stench permeated the area.
President of the Beetham Gardens Community Council, Joel Lee, lamented, “This has been ongoing for years. There’s a burst sewer line below the drain, carrying water from El Dorado, Mount Hope Hospital, passing through Beetham Gardens to the landfill. WASA has been aware for years, plus sending engineers. Several spots are caving in, causing sewer water to back up into homes and drains.”
Lee said residents were fed-up and they wanted to meet with Minister of Public Utilities Marvin Gonzales, Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh and Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley to address their situation.
In response, the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) said it had assessed the situation in the area and offered to pump sewer water out of yards and drains. The authority acknowledged that sewer overflows in the area of 24th Street, attributing the situation to a building demolition which exposed the pipeline.
It said investigations revealed the pipeline was missing an end cap, causing it to be flooded due to heavy rainfall and increased stormwater.
WASA said it would continue pump-down activities to reduce overflows, while arrangements are made for the exposed pipeline to be capped off.
However, Lee criticised WASA’s statement, saying it focused solely on one issue, overlooking other community concerns.
Another resident, Kenneth Lawrence, who lives near the area where the pipeline was leaking, said, “We’re accustomed to the stench, having lived with it for so long, but nothing is being done about it. I’d like to see action taken.”
Lawrence said several children had fallen ill due to the stench and raw sewage in drains.