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Blocked sewerage network in Port Antonio cleared

Published:Saturday | January 30, 2021 | 1:02 PM
A resident walks by the overflow from the sewerage network in Port Antonio, Portland on Thursday. The incident resulted in the closure of several businesses along Harbour Street in the parish capital. The National Water Commission says the blockage has now been cleared (Gareth Davis Sr photo).

The National Water Commission (NWC) says it has cleared blocked sewerage lines that resulted in the overflow of effluent on Harbour Street in Port Antonio, Portland. 

The overflow resulted in a foul stench that caused the closure of several businesses along the roadway on Thursday, including the offices of other utility companies. 

NWC says the blockage was caused by unfiltered and untreated grease from a restaurant in the town flowing into its sewerage network. 

In a release, the state-owned water company said the grease impeded the flow of sewage through its pipelines. 

"The incident is a timely reminder that under no circumstance should grease or oil be allowed to enter the sewer network in accordance with the stipulated conditions of services in the agreement between our customers and ourselves," the NWC said.  "It also demonstrates that restaurant owners and managers must ensure that there is regular cleaning of their grease traps to prevent occurrences of this nature," the release continued. 

NWC is reminding persons to refrain from clogging sewerage networks by channelling excess storm water into manholes and flushing non-biodegradable items, such as cigarette butts and sanitary napkins down toilets. The flushing of wipes has also been indicated as a problem in the past.

The state-owned company said grease should also not be thrown down sinks or into sewers. 

It noted that medical waste and sewage from industrial and chemical processes must also be pre-treated to ensure that NWC sewers only receive non-septic sewage similar to domestic waste.  

The company maintains that effluent at its facility in Port Antonio conforms to the standards by the National Environment and Planning Agency. The facility was completed in 2017 at a cost of $1.2 billion.   

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