AT least three sewage pipelines have collapsed in sections of St Catherine South Eastern recently, resulting in smelly effluent flowing freely along some roadways to the ire of some residents.

And, according to Member of Parliament (MP) for the area Robert Miller, efforts to have repairs done have been hampered by procurement issues, shoddy workmanship, and other delays.

Miller told the Jamaica Observer that he is very concerned for the health of residents and is appealing for their patience as he works to get the situation addressed.

“For persons who are asthmatic, that can affect their respiratory system [due to] the odour that comes from the [sewerage] collapse. The water that is on the road surface, vehicles drive and will splash up persons that are close by. It is indeed a health risk …
“Persons purchase their properties to really live in peace and harmony, and to have sewage scattered all over in front of their properties does not augur well for those persons…. My view is, if I wouldn’t live in an atmosphere like that, [then] I would not want any one of my constituents to live in something of that sort. So, I’m trying my endeavour best to see how we can remedy this situation in [as timely a fashion as possible],” said Miller.

He said Portmore has been plagued by sewage issues for a long time, with an estimated collapse being reported each week because the pipes are aged and made with potentially dangerous material.

According to Miller, the entire sewer line in his constituency needs to be changed.

“Currently we have a collapse in the Cumberland Meadows area. We also have a collapse in the Edgewater space that’s right at Debbie Avenue. I have called the authority where that is concerned and they are moving with alacrity to rectify the situation, according to Mr [Patrick] Daley, [waste water manager] for the National Water Commission (NWC),” said Miller.
Zeroing in on the Debbie Avenue collapse, Miller said a contractor repaired the damage but in less than six months there was another collapse, which is unacceptable.

“In my view, that repair was not done properly because the resurfacing of the area is still done unsatisfactorily and debris that was dug up is still on the walkway — those have not been removed. Some debris was placed on a green area… and those were not removed as well so, in my view, I think it was shoddy work that was done, which was articulated to National Water Commission,” added Miller as he told the Observer that the issue had been raised at a recent citizens’ association meeting.

Miller said there is also a collapse in the Passage Fort belt from a sewer line that runs from Westchester to Passage Fort, and raw sewage is being disposed of into the canal. This, he said, has been going on for over a year.

“The minister without portfolio in the Office of the Prime Minister Senator Matthew Samuda came and looked at the area in question and… the procurement process in Jamaica is lengthy, and that caused a delay in terms of repairing that collapse,” he said.
The MP pointed out that through Samuda’s office and NWC a deal was brokered with West Indies Home Contractors Limited — which is currently undertaking a “big development in Westchester” — to repair the collapse in that area.

Miller said he is also seeking to rectify the situation in areas such as Myrtle Way that do not have connection to the sewerage system even though residents are reportedly paying for the service.

He said according to the NWC, once a pipe is 100 feet away from the residents they still have to pay for the commodity, a condition which he believes has to be changed.

“So what I’m doing is lobbying for them to get the commodity because they’re already paying for the commodity…I have been asking Mr Daley, through the sewage department, to run sewage pipelines to the properties so that I can resurface the area afterwards.
“That has caused some delay in me resurfacing those areas because I’m waiting on the sewage line to be installed…before I can resurface them. I don’t want to resurface the areas in question and then we have to dig it up to put in the [sewerage] line,” said Miller.