Downtown Kingston on brink of health crisis due to sewage overflow - mayor

   

Mayor of Kingston and chairman of the Kingston and St. Andrew Municipal Corportation (KSAMC), Andrew Swaby, says downtown Kingston is teetering on the brink of a health crisis due to the constant overflow of sewage in several sections of the capital.

 

The mayor led a tour of key stakeholders across the business district to view the problem first hand.

 

There have been repeated complaints from people in some downtown Kingston communities about the inconvenience they suffer due to raw sewage flowing in their communities.

 

Businesses have also complained about a downturn in sales because customers stay away when the streets are flooded with sewage.

 

Mayor Swaby says the problem has been ongoing for quite some time without any clear plan for resolution. 

 

"Two years or so, I have been talking from when I was on the minority side, and I'm still talking about it. The KSAMC doesn't have the responsibility, but the KSAMC has the overall responsibility of the management of the city, and that alone, the wider KSAMC has to step in and pull all the stakeholders together to get it done. It is a health crisis," he declared. 

 

The mayor said the KSAMC and the government will have to discuss how best to deal with the situation. 

 

He expressed disappointment that despite being invited there were no representatives from the National Water Commission on the tour.

 

Mayor Swaby wants Water Minister Matthew Samuda to outline a plan to address the problem.

 

In July last year, Minister Samuda promised that the sewage issue plaguing communities of West Kingston will be fixed by this year.

 

Late last year, emergency work was undertaken to effect repairs to a section of the sewer system that had collapsed, but the problem persists. 

 

In the meantime, Chief Public Health Inspector for Kingston and St. Andrew Grayson Hutchinson said the sewage problem downtown needs to be corrected with the greatest degree of urgency. 

 

"It is unacceptable that we have blocked manholes overflowing with sewage, and it is our intention to determine the plans that are available to address the situation. Whenever it rains, there's a tendency for there to be infiltration of the manhole. 

 

"It therefore means that NWC has to be proactive, there has to be an emergency response plan in place, there needs to be a maintenance programme that is in place; there needs to be a monitoring programme that is in place so that we can address all issues that develop as quickly as possible. And so we intend to meet with them to hear about the short term and medium term plans," he said. 

 

In a response to questions about its no show during Thursday's tour, the National Water Commission said it has been in constant dialogue with the municipal corporation.

 

The NWC said it is aware that a meeting is to be convened shortly to discuss the relevant matters.

 

It noted that earlier this week, a crew from the agency conducted checks at sites highlighted by the KSAMC and a report is being sent to the corporation to advise of the findings.

 

The NWC added that while constraints prevented the team's second visit to the sites, it looks forward to further discussions with the KSAMC.