RADHICA DE SILVA
Senior Multimedia Reporter radhica.sookraj@guardian.co.tt
Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales has ordered the immediate clearing of clogged sewer lines at Sunkist Development in Philippine, San Fernando after residents staged a placard protest over a sewer stink in their residential community. It's been over a week since raw sewage has been flowing into the community.
After being informed of the problem by Guardian Media, Gonzales immediately took action.
"I have already given the CEO of WASA approval to proceed with the appropriate intervention to protect the public after a resident reached out to me for assistance," he revealed.
When Guardian Media visited the area on Thursday morning, raw filth was flowing out of a pipe in Susan Roopnarinesingh's front yard. Expressing concern about the impact of the sewage on their health, Roopnarinesingh said: "It is very uncomfortable being here.
Right now sewage is overflowing from a line on my property. My neighbour's bathroom also overflowed. We had to open our line to avoid sewer coming up," she said.
She added: "I am concerned for my family, my two dogs, and all my neighbours as well. We are calling for immediate intervention. The neighbour has to leave with his children at night because of the scent."
Another resident, Patricia Lima, said last week Tuesday her bathroom also became flooded with raw sewage.
"The bathtub was overflowing with sewage. As we started to clean up, I said let's go outside and we uncapped the 4-inch sewer main, a lot of effluents flowed. I can't describe what I saw because it was horrible," Lima said.
Kelsi Diljohn, an attorney, said she has reached out to WASA and was told that because Sunkist is a private development and not under the jurisdiction of WASA.
Councillor for La Fortune/Debe North, Krishna Persadsingh, who spoke with WASA officials said the Sunkist Development had never been officially handed over to WASA by the owner of the development. He has since died and the current directors reside abroad. He said residents are now in the process of forming an association.
"We will be petitioning the Minister to give WASA the authority to maintain this development so people will not see raw sewage flowing into their property."
WASA's CEO Kelvin Romain said the Authority will be doing all that it can to alleviate the problem. "This was brought to my attention by the MP and the councillor of PDRC. Sunkist is a private development and was left in disrepair. When it comes to the sewer system, WASA will continue to assist because it poses a public health risk, and we do not want it to reach a state of crisis," Romain said.
He added: "WASA will be mitigating against those overflows. I would like to suggest that the community form a group where they could effect some maintenance work, and we could take it over from there."