Siparia pensioner threatens WASA with lawsuit over damaged home

A SIPARIA pensioner is threatening to take the Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) to court for the damage to her home which has shifted and become inhabitable because of an alleged leaking pipeline at Coora Road, Siparia.

Attorney Abdel Mohammed, who represents Rooniah Ramlochan, of 27 Coora Road, has given WASA until the end of June to provide a response to the pre-action protocol letter which calls on the authority to compensate the homeowner.

Mohammed said his instructions are that around April 2022, Coora Road began to drop and repairs were done a month later. However, he said by November, the road began cracking again and there were cracks appearing to the back of Ramlochan’s house.

The letter said Ramlochan’s house began to move and her septic tank was destroyed while there were major cracks caused by a leaking water line.

Mohammed said the line was condemned by the authority and Ramlochan was advised to make a formal report which she did in December.

She also sought the assistance of her MP Kamla Persad-Bissessar who wrote to WASA south regional manager for assistance but they have received no response to date.

Mohammed also said, since then, the property has further shifted and declared unsafe and inhabitable by engineers hired to assess it.

According to the report, which was attached to the letter, a landslip along Coora Road left large tension cracks and caused slippage in front of Ramlochan’s home.

There were cracks to the building and foundation and excessive water flow through the property in earthen channels. The report further noted major signs of distress in and around the property caused by excessive water saturation from a ruptured water line.

It said the structure was unsafe and there was a recommendation for it to be demolished and reconstructed.

Mohammed said Ramlochan has no where to live and has been staying with relatives. He said she continues to suffer from stress, anxiety and distress.

In March, Public Utilities Minister Marvin Gonzales advised homeowners who believed they had legitimate claims of negligence against WASA to seek legal counsel and initiate legal action.

His suggestion followed a ruling of the High Court that awarded Laventille woman Janet Rousseau just over $1.7 million in compensation after a ruptured water line destroyed her home in 2005.