Residents decry burst main in Arima

ANGELO MARCELLE

Residents of Frank Hart Street in Arima, have been without a supply of water since last Thursday.

According to resident Carlton Williams, the problem stemmed from his neighbour who was experiencing a clogged sewer line. Williams said after seeking private aid for his issue, the neighbour (who was not at home at the time of the interview), surmised that the problem could be solved from the main line which lay on an empty lot opposite to his home. WASA was unwilling to treat with the problem because they would have had to go on private property.

According to Williams, the neighbour sort permission from the owner of the private property to have a backhoe expose the line so that the sewerage problem could be serviced. Unknown to the backhoe operator, Williams said, the WASA water line lay above the sewerage line. In digging for the sewerage line the water line was broken by the heavy equipment, causing thousands of gallons of treated water to run into a nearby drain.

Williams said residents were informed by a WASA official, that the line could not be interfered with because it was on private property.

“After WASA visited the site, they turned off a line that provided water to the area but left the burst line without servicing it.

“How could WASA be lacking that much conscience, to see thousands of treated, drinkable water being wasted and not do anything about it?”

At press time, WASA was on the scene fixing the burst main.