FOR some residents of Shakespeare Avenue in Duhaney Park, St Andrew, the flow of raw sewage through their yards has become unbearable.

In fact, most of the residents say it is a major hindrance to their daily routines.

When the Jamaica Observer visited the community yesterday, the stench permeated the the air as sewage flowed from the back of several premises onto Baldwin Crescent in the vicinity of Laura’s Basic and George Headley Primary schools.

“I can’t eat enuh. See my face, it a break out because of this, and I am sick. See my foot here,” Jacqueline Taylor told the Observer as she pulled up her trouser leg.

According to Taylor, the issue has been a long-standing one.

“Is from long-time, but then since September the rain started falling and it started to flow back to the back of the yard, and this is the outcome of it. Every time the rain fall this is what happen,” Taylor complained as the sewage flowed through her yard.

The resident said she has been calling the National Water Commission (NWC) since September for the broken sewerage system to be fixed.

“They are saying that we should bear with them. This is an emergency. I can’t cook,” Taylor continued.

Taylor, who said she is a paying NWC customer, said her utility bill has increased.

“Two of us live in here and my water bill is $9,000-odd a month, because I have to keep washing the yard down. It is really heart-rending man,” Taylor exclaimed.

Another resident, Lorna Duff, said the NWC is aware of the problem.

“They came and look at it, and as them gone is the same problem over and over. Mi tyad a it now, man,” Duff said.

Duff, who has been residing in the community for 26 years, said the problem has been recurring for about 10 years.

“The quick fix is not working. I want them to come and fix it, because we have young baby, we have senior citizens, and sick [people]. Me sick and I cannot manage them scent here,” Duff explained, adding that she is unable to leave her home because the sewage runs in front of her house.

Meanwhile, a pensive Vernal Green, who has been residing in the community since 1988, said the sewage has been flowing for approximately three months.

Like the residents, the teachers and students of Laura Basic School are affected by the broken sewerage system.

A teacher, who wished not to be identified, told the Observer that the school was forced to go deeper into its pockets to purchase additional sanitising solutions to combat the stench and prevent students from getting ill.

“… I am not quite certain if that (sewage overflow) is the reason why we are having a resurgence of flies, and what we used to spend on sanitation products has increased because we have to double up how often we sanitise,” the teacher said.

For the teacher, the overflowing of sewage became unbearable on November 4.

Consequently, she said she was forced to close her classroom for it to be sprayed. But that was not enough.

“I had to get the mosquito zapper. I had to be literally running down these flies,” the teacher exclaimed.

“When my babies come in in the mornings, the flies come in with them because of what they are walking in. When they are settled we have to sanitise the classroom immediately… We have to be saying clean off your shoes. We have to wet the mat with the disinfectant and bleach for them to wipe their feet,” she continued.

The teacher, who raised concerns about the sewage seeping through other broken mains and contaminating water, said the pipelines need to be repaired.

When the Observer contacted the NWC’s Corporate Public Relations Manager Charles Buchanan yesterday, he said the agency visited the community and has made arrangements for work to begin today.