Greater Portmore High will accept any solution that eases sewage stench

Principal of Greater Portmore High School in St Catherine, Ricardo Ross, says the institution is willing to accept whatever solution the National Water Commission (NWC) can implement to lessen the stench from a nearby sewage treatment plant.

Teachers at the institution on Tuesday staged a protest for a second day as they pressed for the problem to be fixed.

The NWC has said any solution provided would not be 100 per cent effective in ridding the area of the smell.

However, Ross said “the situation is of such that if the NWC is prepared to do what they need to do to reduce or minimise this stench that is affecting all of us, then of course, we will be able to work comfortably."

“But the sad part about it is, there is a lack of communication. We have been reaching out and writing letters, but there seems to be scant regard. The staff had to take to the streets just to get this kind of response from the NWC,” he sad.

The Greater Portmore Wastewater Facility, as explained by the NWC, is an open-air treatment plant. This means the ponds that hold the sewage allow for the natural elements to interact with it.

“These ponds are designed to expose the waste to the sunlight and natural elements like the wind. Meaning, there will always be a smell because that is how they work by design,” Delano Williams, acting corporate communications manager for the NWC told The Gleaner.

While they await a remedy, the staff at the Greater Portmore High School say they will continue to protest.

“I am not in a position to put a timeline on that activity [protest]. But, what I can say is that the staff is adamant that some amount of effort must now be put into ensuring we are able to work in a better environment. As it is now, it is unacceptable,” Ross said.

Classes at the school have been cancelled for the rest of the day.

- Kenrick Morgan

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