San Fernando Mayor Junia Regrello yesterday called for an upgrade of water pipelines, after a ruptured line created a sinkhole in the heart of the southern city.
Members of the public and at least one business owner were inconvenienced by the occurrence, as lower High Street, from Penitence Street, was subsequently blocked off to vehicular traffic.
The hole, which was estimated to be at least five feet deep, was observed early yesterday morning near Yufe’s store and the La Brea Taxi Stand.
Unsure where he would get a La Brea taxi after access along the road was blocked, an elderly man complained that the situation was unacceptable.
“I am disappointed, in the middle of the road in the city, that is disgraceful, that is not right,” he said.
Businessowner Ravi Singh, who was doing repairs at his store, had to physically carry his material to his business place.
“This is terrible,” Singh told Guardian Media.
Sometime yesterday afternoon, a crew from the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) began works at the site. Regrello told Guardian Media that WASA was working feverishly to have the repairs completed by 8 o’clock last night.
Noting that the pipelines were installed in the 1960s, he said they are old and in some cases corroded.
“We really need an upgrade with these pipelines, in and around, particularly the inner city...We keep repairing these things and as soon as you repair them it bursts somewhere else, so it is an ongoing exercise we have to work on. I hope that WASA will look at the possibility of engaging the city and repairing these lines from time to time because they are really outdated,” Regrello said.
He said the water is undermining the area, but recently the corporation did some infrastructure works and that prevented the water from seeping into business places.
Last October, a transmission pipeline running underneath Coffee Street in San Fernando also ruptured, disrupting businesses and affecting the supply to thousands of customers.
