Kitson Town residents raise stink over sewage woes
Published:Monday | August 23, 2021 | 12:07 AMRasbert Turner/Gleaner Writer
The health hazard from raw sewage flowing from the Cherry Gardens treatment plant in Kitson Town, St Catherine, continues to cause concerns for residents.
The pungent odour of the sewage, which has been flowing across the Mary’s Field road for about 100 metres, has been the source of distress for residents. The effluent has been running from a manhole.
Michelle Davis has just about had it with the eyesore.
“Lawd Jesus! Every day a so mi haffi skip over this nasty water,” Davis told The Gleaner.
“Di water is dangerous, as it flash up on me and a pure bumps. Dem fi stop di problem permanently.”
Markland James agrees.
“You cannot catch your breath whenever it flows on to the roadway,” he said.
Residents like Myrtle Benneth related that cesspool removal trucks are occasionally deployed to ameliorate the crisis, but they are demanding a permanent fix.
There are also concerns that the recently paved road might be eroded by the constant flow of effluent.
Several residents complained that pedestrians are sometimes splashed by the operators of fast-moving motor vehicles during the daily commute in the St Catherine West Central community.
Councillor Keith McCook of the Red Hills dvision said that he has sought intervention for the problem.
“I received calls on the overflowing (sewage) problem and will be contacting the trucks to help with the situation,” McCook said.
Chief public health inspector for St Catherine Grayson Hutchinson said that the authorities are considering stronger enforcement of the law to address the problem.
“The developer cannot be located, but in recent times there were trucks removing the waste. The current situation means changes are needed to alleviate the problem,” he said.
Wastewater manager at the National Water Commission (NWC), Patrick Daley, said that the matter will be examined. He emphasised, however, that the NWC does not operate the system.