Letter of the Day | We can’t breathe! We can’t survive!

THE EDITOR, Madam:

The construction of the road from Harbour View to Port Antonio is a welcome development, which will bring a number of benefits to the area when it is completed, and some inconvenience during roadworks is expected.

However, what residents in Portland communities are experiencing over the past seven months goes far beyond inconvenience; it is a serious hazard to the health and well-being of the people who live in the area or who have to travel through it.

A thick cloud of dust affects visibility, covers plants, buildings and people from head to toe and it is seriously affecting the health of those who have been breathing it in for this extended period of time. It is a threat to our lungs, particularly children, elderly and those who have existing health conditions such as asthma or other respiratory illnesses.

When contacted, the National Works Agency (NWA) agreed that regular mitigating actions were to be set in place, such as the watering of the construction area/road two times a day, while at nights heavy trucks full of marl would not transit.

Port Antonio Health Department also agreed that the situation was unacceptable and committed to following up, including to contact the member of parliament about the problem.

The local contractor has also been contacted without any success, while its water truck is mainly parked at its headquarters.

Despite these efforts to gain help, there has been no action taken and residents continue to suffer.

People in my community, Drapers, are worried, and cookshops, supermarkets and schools face daily struggle to fight the dust, while there is no water in the main pipes for most days of the week. How safe is it to cook in the dust? How safe is it for the children to play on the school compound with their eyes full of dust?

Additionally, several taxi drivers are unwilling to travel along the under-construction road because it damages their vehicles, which has a dramatic impact on students trying to reach schools, especially those heading to Happy Grove. Some of them reach home in the night and get up at sunrise to make it to school on time, while parents keep protesting the unacceptable situation.

Happy Grove High School principal has reported that it takes hours for students and teachers to reach school and to go back home in the late evenings.

ACT URGENTLY

The NWA, Port Antonio Health Department, NEPA and our MP need to act urgently to respect our rights, health and our businesses. Residents should not have to sacrifice their health and wellness in order to get the benefits of needed infrastructural improvements.

In the last three months, the road has been impassable, with huge potholes, damages to the water pipes which leave communities without water, and the dramatic problem of transportation, with lengthy delays for everyone trying to go about their business.

A road construction does not mean a total disregard of life conditions of Portland people. It is sad and offensive to see that nobody cares about the disruptive behaviour of local constructors, which shows no form or respect and no mitigation measures to ensure that people can survive this improvement work.

MARIA CARLA GULLOTTA

Human Rights Defender

Drapers, Portland