Portmore residents press NWC over water, sewage issues

Residents across several Portmore communities say they remain mired in a prolonged water shortage and recurring sewage overflows, despite assurances from the National Water Commission (NWC) that remedies are under way.

While inconsistent water supply has been affecting large sections of Portmore, residents of Edgewater, Bridgeview and parts of Westmeade say sewage overflows have compounded their frustration. They argue that repeated interventions by the NWC’s wastewater department have failed to decisively resolve the matter.

The concerns were raised at a recent Constituency Development Fund (CDF) forum led by Member of Parliament for St Catherine Southeastern, Dr Alfred Dawes, at the Portmore HEART Academy last week.

Trianna Smith, public relations officer for the Bridgeview Citizens’ Association, told the forum that residents are at their wits’ end. “The ongoing water crisis affecting the residents of Bridgeview has been documented time and time again, and we are still experiencing this crisis,” she said.

She added: “Also, the matter of the canal that runs between Bridgeview and Westmeade has an issue of raw sewage being deposited there, causing an unbearable stench, making it hard for us to breathe.”

Smith urged the NWC to prioritise lasting solutions to both the water supply challenges and the sewage discharge affecting the canal.

Similar concerns were echoed by Joan Senior, president of the Edgewater Citizens’ Association, who pointed to the recurrence of raw sewage along Lucille Way and Debbie Avenue. “The problem was sorted out, but the sewage appeared again. We can’t be stepping out of our home into sewage. I don’t know what the NWC [is] going to do, but it needs sorting out,” she said.

Responding to the complaints, Ann Bolt, acting public relations manager at the NWC, said the utility is aware of the challenges and is working to improve service delivery. According to Bolt, Portmore is supplied by a series of wells as well as systems linked to the Rio Cobre.

She noted that insufficient electrical power is hindering the operation of the brook number two and number four pumping systems, which means Portmore residents are affected before other areas.

Bolt said improvements are expected following repairs to the Bybrook systems, which have the capacity to pump four million gallons of water per day. She also pointed to the new Rio Cobre water supply system, scheduled for completion next May, which is expected to add 15 million gallons to the network.

Meanwhile, Patrick Daley, manager of wastewater operations at the NWC, said ageing infrastructure is at the root of the sewage problems in some communities.

“Edgewater, like some Kingston communities, has pipes which are over 40 years old and are now at the end of their life span,” he said. “So what the NWC does when we have these collapsed sewage mains in these communities, we go in and remove the entire leg along the road,” he noted, adding that the problem in Edgewater was addressed two weeks ago.

However, residents insist the issue has since reoccurred and are calling for urgent and permanent corrective measures as they continue to grapple with unreliable water supply and exposure to raw sewage.

Meanwhile, Dawes told residents that resolving sewerage problems would require inclusion in the government’s capital budget, noting that formal representation was needed for the matter to receive funding.

Speaking at the forum, he said the annual $20 million CDF allocation to each constituency supports small, community-based socio-economic and infrastructure projects. While acknowledging that some believe the fund enables politicians to dispense “scarce benefits”, he argued that it strengthens the connection between elected officials and residents.

“There are very few remaining organisations with direct links with the grassroots people the way their elected representatives have, and as a result you find that the CDF is a way where these people can get community needs address,” Dawes said.

He added that he had inherited more than $700,000 in unpaid expenses owed to a constituency CDF officer, and that his limited initial funds were channelled mainly into education and welfare support.

Outlining the requests he has received, he said: “The requests I have been getting a lot are for education assistance, welfare, housing support, and of course economic aid.”

Dawes wants to make Portmore a “wellness city” and plans to establish dedicated wellness parks throughout the constituency. He also pledged to consult residents on how CDF monies should be spent.

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