WESTMORELAND, Jamaica— The National Water Commission (NWC) has promised that by Friday morning it will put a stop to the raw sewage that has been overflowing in sections of the Llandilo Phase 1 Housing Scheme in Westmoreland since Sunday. The assurance of a solution was given even though the state agency is still not sure what caused the problem in the first place..

“I am aware of the sewer that has been overflowing and it will be fixed tomorrow morning. We don’t know what is causing it right now, but it will be rectified,” the NWC’s Regional Operations Manager, Jeffery Smith, told OBSERVER ONLINE when contacted after residents complained to the newspaper.

“It is just unbelievable. I cannot walk through my gate, and I cannot drive out without going through the sewage. My wife and I have to keep our doors closed because the stench is unbearable,” said Anthony Gordon.

“It’s running about probably 150 metres past four houses. It’s covering the entire road going down and it’s raining now so the road is going to be completely inundated with water soon,” he predicted.

He added that he had been calling the NWC’s office for a solution since Monday, but the Savanna-la-Mar office indicated they were unable to fix the problem on their own.

“They visited Monday and, according to what they’re saying, Sav’s office cannot deal with it so they’re going to have to get a special unit from Montego Bay. And three days’ time it is still there,” said a frustrated Gordon.

In addition to the stench and blocked access to the road, he is concerned about the health risk the seeping effluent poses.

“And you know what hurts me? Yesterday when I look up where the water was coming up the road, I saw a little girl picking up a stone from out of the dirty water and throwing it at the bubble that was coming up. I don’t know where her parents were, but I had to send her home because poor child don’t even realise the danger. So, trust me, it is really getting to us,” he said.

Daina Davy