WE could ask what took the National Water Commission (NWC) so long to concede its liability to fix the sewage treatment plant that, according to yesterday’s edition of the Observer, has been dumping untreated waste into the Harbour View community and the sea for the past 20 years.

However in the spirit of accentuating the positive, we’ll forego that important question in favour of congratulating the residents of Harbour View and, particularly, their attorney Mr Clyde Williams, for staying the course to secure an end to what could only be described as a most dangerous public nuisance.

Thanks to what we know to be their tireless effort, Tuesday’s consent judgment which obliges the NWC to rectify the damage to the environment that it has caused for the past 25 years, will be rightfully recorded as an example of how society can be improved through informed action on the part of an enlightened citizenry.

Had it not been for the efforts of the many who recognised the importance of holding the NWC; the Kingston and St Andrew Health Department; the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) and the Natural Resources Conservation Authority (NRCA) accountable, there would have been no end in sight to this scandalous saga.

The question that needs to be answered now is, what form of compensation will be forthcoming to the residents for the years of abuse they have suffered at the hands of these agencies?

According to Ms Carol Lawton who led the Harbour View residents in the campaign for change, this particular nuisance has taken a toll on the residents’ pockets and quality of life for over two decades. The possible effect of the nuisance on their health is likely to be difficult, if not impossible to quantify.

Are the residents supposed to just forget about this?

We can’t imagine that it is beyond the NWC, having taken this important first step towards righting a near-unforgiveable wrong against the Harbour View community, to realise the importance of taking yet another step in the right direction.

And we would hope to see this step being taken within a much shorter time frame. For well do we know that where there is a will, there is a way. According to Ms Diana McCaulay, the Chief Executive Officer of the Jamaica Environment Trust (JET) which gave significant support to the residents’ cause, Tuesday’s judgement also requires the NWC to keep the residents informed of the progress during the 18-month period scheduled for the repair of the sewage plant.

We suggest that other communities take a leaf out of the book of the Harbour View residents. Their dogged determination has resulted in justice, or so we hope. Many communities are going through similar struggles, even if not over sewage.

A caution to Harbour View: the fight is not over until the NWC and the other agencies involved do what they are supposed to do. You’ve come this far, don’t let up for one second.