KINGSTON, Jamaica — Residents of Trench Town are bemoaning sewage water which they say have been running on Collie Smith Drive since Saturday, impacting businesses in the community.

Speaking with Observer Online, one businessman said the sewage water has since caused a decline in drink sales.

“You have a restaurant beside me and normally more people come buy food, mi get more sale in water or in juice so with the water running right now, it kind of slowing up my business,” the resident explained.

“My business is a licensed business, I pay tax to the government so they should have moved a little quicker knowing that it’s a business area,” he continued.

The resident noted that the sewage water also poses a threat to commuters, including children, who are often at risk of being splashed which travelling to school.

“Right here is an essential part of the community because here is like the taxi stand where the people go out and in. You have the vehicle that go crossroads and…the school children them coming from school, so like this running, the vehicle them, some of them are speeding…so when the water splash up on the little children coming from school or the people them, those things can break out germs and cause a lot of disease so this need to be dealt with,” the resident explained, adding that the relevant authorities had been contacted since Saturday.