WASA: No leaks at Fort George Road

THE Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) said there are no leaking lines in the area of Fort George Road, St James, where a landslide cut off access to the area for 24 hours on Christmas Day.

The landslide happened at around 4 pm on Christmas Day and was not cleared until 4 am on Boxing Day.

It was responded to by agencies such as the disaster management unit of the Diego Martin Borough Corporation, Fire Service, the Works and Transport Ministry, the Rural Development and Local Government Ministry, the Trinidad and Tobago Electricity Commission and WASA.

Field officer of the DMBC’s disaster management unit Nathaniel Roper told Newsday on December 26 that the land was completely saturated, even though there had been no rain for days. He said there was no reason for the land to be saturated other than by a waterway, a leaking pipe or someone’s damaged drain.

In a telephone conversation with Newsday on December 27, WASA communications manager Daniel Plenty said, “I checked with our operations personnel and there is no leaking pipeline there, there are no WASA leaks in the area. There’s a private development higher up: maybe it’s something from there. There are no WASA lines in the area that may have caused that.”

Vehicles were using the road freely when Newsday visited on December 27.

At the house on which a tree fell as a result of the landslide, the residents declined to speak to Newsday.

It was observed that branches and some smaller bits of trunk were still on the roof, while the majority of the debris had been pushed over to the side of the house.

Workers were seen fixing a water pipe which had been ruptured at the side of the building.

Newsday saw water begin to flow steadily down the muddy remains of the landslide onto the road at approximately 2.30 pm on December 27.