National Water Commission (NWC) yesterday blamed residents for the overflow of sewage in Majesty Gardens, saying that the problem stems from the disposal of prohibited solids into manholes.

The water management agency was responding to a Jamaica Observerfront page photograph, taken on Tuesday and published on Wednesday, showing raw sewage which had been flowing on a street in the impoverished community since Monday.

Yesterday, the NWC said it received a report about the problem on Tuesday and the remedial work to correct the overflow was completed on the same day.

“Hence, at the time of the Observer‘s publication this situation was no longer an issue. In fact, the NWC maintains a standard 24-hour response time after being notified of the faults related to wastewater issues,” the agency said.

“It must be outlined, however, that there is an ongoing issue caused by the citizenry which results in the blockage and subsequent overflow of the central sewerage situated within Majesty Gardens,” the NWC explained.

“The NWC has noted that the improper use of the system, which includes disposal of prohibited solids (sanitary napkins, condoms, and wipes), along with the actual dumping of garbage into the manholes are at the core of the overflows being reported by the media,” the NWC said.

The agency said that in light of this concern, it has sought to augment its physical response to the area with “sensitisation sessions to alert the community of the harm being caused by their action, especially when garbage and other solids are carelessly or maliciously discarded via the sewer mains”.

The water management agency said that on October 24, 2018, a public education session was held in the community highlighting safe practices of the sewage system.

“The NWC cannot overstate that the proper use of the sewerage system by each individual user not only helps to extend the lifetime of the system, but effectively ensures that the very user can live, travel or work within spaces free of risks posed by the overflow of a sewer main,” the agency said, ending its response with the advice: “Bag it, bin it, do not flush it.”