WASA not at fault but fixes it

THE Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) says it was not to blame for a recurring sewer problem at the home of a Pleasantville pensioner. But to “prevent a public health situation”, WASA has rectified the issue.

“The authority was not responsible for the problem that occurred at the customer’s property and he was again advised to seek the services of a plumber, in order to prevent a similar occurrence in the future,” said Daniel Plenty who is WASA’s senior manager of corporate communications.

Balchan Sookdeo, 70, of Poinsettia Lane complained about a puddle of water in his yard for the past two months saying it was caused by faulty underground sewer lines.

Plenty said there was a choke along Sookdeo’s internal line which resulted in sewage surfacing on the front yard of his property. WASA first received a complaint from Sookdeo on July 9. An investigation found that WASA's sewer to which Sookdeo’s property was connected, had been flowing freely.

Notwithstanding this, Sookdeo made another complaint on September 10. On Friday last, Newsday published a second article about the complaint and WASA officials revisited his home to do further investigations.

“The authority revisited Mr Sookdeo's residence and noted that the situation had worsened considerably. To prevent a public health situation WASA acted to remove the sewage collected from a hole dug at the front of the property as well as cleared the choke on his internal line,” Plenty said.

When contacted yesterday Sookdeo said he is happy the lines are cleared but maintained that faulty lines did not belong to him. “The fault line that caused the problem was not mine. Everything is normal now that they cleared the line. We are hoping this messy problem does not develop again,” Sookdeo said.