IT’S a recurring cry from the people of Seaview Gardens in Western St Andrew.

Raw sewage, blocked drains, broken manholes, mosquito infestation, sickness. It’s a story repeated innumerable times, but hardly anything has been done by those who have the power to address the problems.

Now tired of living with filth running by their doorsteps, the residents want action taken now.

The Jamaica Observer visited the section of the community known as Marley in Phase Two of the low-income housing development, yesterday, and saw raw sewage running from at least four clogged manholes.

Earl Pinto, a member of the Seaview Gardens Citizens’ Association said, despite their best attempts, the situation has been bothering them for at least 15 years and piecemeal attempts by the authorities to remedy the problem have come to nought.

“It is a terrible thing to have to live with raw sewage running past your house for years. We have called out for help from the Ministry of Health, the National Water Commission, the National Works Agency, and others, but every time they just do a patch-up job and soon the problem comes right back,” he said.

The stench was unbearable, and residents said the offence to their noses was just the tip of the iceberg as many of the children and adults in that section of the community have developed health problems.

“My baby break out in a whole heap of rashes all over him body. I have had to buy medication and it is really killing us. People can’t live like this,” one woman said as she pointed to some of the rashes on her infant son.

The residents also complained that large mosquitoes breed in the filthy water and the bites usually cause some of them to fall ill.

“Mosquito ah kill wi! The children are getting sick, it’s a shame,” one woman said.

“We even had a couple cases of malaria in the community. People might think this is Seaview’s problem, but it is Jamaica’s problem, because people leave here and go all over. Those people might be infected and end up spreading it in the wider society,” Pinto said.

The irate residents said when the situation boils over the raw sewage comes up through their toilets and baths and sometimes floods their homes, making, them inhabitable.

The sewage ends up in a gully that runs through the community and leads into the Kingston Harbour. However, most of the sludge that runs in the gully does not end up in the sea, but builds up at a point near the body of water.

The residents said they have to don water boots and use shovels to clear the gully whenever it gets clogged.

“I won’t lie, a tractor clears the gully sometimes, but it cannot go under the bridge so the filth builds up and block it,” one resident explained.

Another elderly woman pointed to a school of tadpoles that were swimming in the water, stressing that she was fearful that when they evolve into frogs they will overrun the community.

“When dem turn frog wi might have to move out,” the woman warned.

So thick is the silt, filth, garbage, hyacinths and other water plants that build up at that section of the gully that even the smallest animal cannot walk across the gully without sinking.

“We need help to fix this thing once and for all because we have been living in this stinking hell for too many years. We will not accept this neglect from our representatives anymore,” another man fumed.