Manhole misery

THE EDITOR, Sir:

I write to apprise you of a problem that exists outside the front perimeter wall of my home at 1 Havendale Drive, Kingston 19. On August 20, the day after a lightning strike, I observed that a manhole cover made of cast concrete, located on the soft shoulder outside my home, was cracked and separated into three pieces, two of which had fallen into the manhole.

Further investigation revealed that there were two fixed, insulated cables in the hole and a sign on the metallic border of the hole which read, ‘Post and Telegraph’. I placed a piece of plyboard and a branch with bright red flowers over the hole to alert pedestrians to the potential danger.

Following the discovery, I called Central Sorting Office, and was told by the person who answered that it is an infrastructural problem, which cannot be dealt with by them.

Their core function is moving mail! I was advised to call the National Works Agency or the National Water Commission. When contact was made with these agencies, neither of them acknowledged ownership of, or responsibility for, the manhole, but, nevertheless, the representative of the NWA promised to send a team to investigate the problem. I cannot say if an investigation has been done.

Seven weeks later, the manhole is still open. Although a metal barrel cover has now been placed over the hole, it still presents a danger to pedestrians. In addition, the hole is also a haven for the breeding of mosquitoes whenever it rains.

Last Saturday, when I checked the manhole after the rain, there were hundreds of wrigglers in the water.

To get the cover replaced, do I have to make placards, lead a protest, block the road and invite media coverage?

FRUSTRATED

Havendale, St Andrew