THE BARBADOS WATER AUTHORITY (BWA) is appealing to the public, especially businesses, for support in trying to end the “national crisis” caused by sewage flowing onto some South Coast streets.
General manager Keithroy Halliday said their crews at the Wastewater Division were being overwhelmed with material that did not belong in the sewerage system.
“If it is that we are going to deal with this and it is a national crisis, we need everyone to come on board and understand the only way we are going to get past this is for everyone to stop putting the type of material in the sewerage system that is creating havoc with our pump. This is expensive, this is frustrating, this is fatiguing all of our staff. We need your help,” he said at a media conference yesterday.
Four of the pumps to the system failed and although three had been replaced, the largest pump was not working.
Halliday said based on the type of material they were seeing in the sewerage system, it could not be attributed to residents. He did not identify the material, but said it seemed to be coming from large hotels or guest houses.
“We need them to ensure that what is going into the sewerage line is only what is legal or what is legitimate,” he added.
Wastewater Division manager Patricia Inniss said businesses had also made connections to the system which allowed stormwater to infiltrate and this was also contributing to the problem. She said they had deployed teams to “pull” from the properties to help ease the situation.
Meanwhile, just over a week after Hastings, Christ Church resident “Lil Giant” called for the shifting of the pedestrian crossing adjacent to Lanterns Mall, it has been relocated.
At the time, he said the elderly could not cross the road and other pedestrians were avoiding the sewage water which was flowing from a drain in the road.
Yesterday, a crew from the Ministry of Transport and Works painted a new crossing, closer to Hastings Plaza.
However, it marked another day when residents and businesses in Hastings and Worthing had to deal with effluent flowing from the breached system. Chicken Barn, Esso Hastings and the Worthing Post Office are all closed. (SAT)
