A cry from the heart

THE EDITOR: Residents of Poolside 1, Maracas St Joseph, are in dire need of the State’s assistance related to a malfunctioning sewer plant located on its boundary with a newer development – Poolside 2.

Poolside 1 consists of a small cluster of ten houses built more than five decades ago and made up of families who are now mainly retirees who have served our country well in many respects and have literally paid their dues to society.

The residents have withstood dust storms and the ravages of two major floods in their small community, brought about in part by the inconsiderate and unplanned development of housing at Poolside 2. We are now under siege from the constant stench coming from the sewer plant that was indiscriminately located on the border of existing houses in Poolside 1.

Incidentally, we all have septic tanks. We have been reliably informed that the sewer plant was never built to specifications, cannot service a “still expanding” housing development and at best has been casually maintained. This is reflected by the non-habitual desludging activities.

Meanwhile one resident closest to the plant has been forced to evacuate his house since last November, while others are forced to stay indoors, change sleeping patterns and abandon all forms of family entertainment. Some of us have respiratory ailments and these have become chronic and require high-costing medication.

We have brought our plight to all agencies involved with housing development. These include the Town and Country Planning Division, the Environmental Management Authority, Water and Sewerage Authority, and local and parliamentary representatives. Files of correspondence exist.

We alerted public health officials that raw sewage from the malfunctioning sewer plant that is a few hundred metres from the Maracas River may be reaching the stream and water from the river is generally used by farmers located along the river bed. The horror of a cholera epidemic can become a reality.

We were amazed to know that our neighbours at Poolside 2 were not generally aware of our predicament. Our houses are downwind but as fate would have it, raw sewage has begun to back up in a few of their homes and most likely will persist and spread.

This cry from the heart is for the intervention of the State. As members of the older generation we are ill equipped to protest on the streets, relocate, financially replace the sewer plant for the developer, or be litigious.

LENNOX BERNARD
, Maracas