‘No guaranteed fix’
NWC working on sewage issues at Greater Portmore High
WHILE THE National Water Commission (NWC) is working to resolve ongoing issues the Greater Portmore High School in St Catherine is facing with a nearby sewage treatment plant, the government agency says there might not be a solution to the problem.
Speaking with The Gleaner, the commission’s acting corporate public relations manager, Delano Williams, explained the facilities open-air design was built to allow for direct contact with the elements – therefore allowing for the breakdown of effluent.
“The school is situated within proximity of our [Greater Portmore] wastewater facility – both the plant itself and a series of ponds which hold the waste material. These ponds are designed to expose the waste to the sunlight and natural elements. That is how they work by design,” Williams said.
“Conversely, when it rains, there is agitation because there is a lot of cloud coverage, and excess water. So, the wastewater is now not being broken down because of a lack of exposure to the right elements, thus leading to a natural odour which is what affects the school community.”
Williams’ explanation comes on the heels of a protest staged by the staff at the Greater Portmore High School who said they have been battling with the unpleasant sewage odour for years.
“We have been spending all of the little money we earn at the doctor for medication because it is affecting us negatively,” one staff member said.
“We have written letters to almost every necessary governing body; NWC, the ministry of education, NEPA (National Environment and Planning Agency), all the member of parliament them we write, and still nothing,” another disgruntled staff member said.
The protesters were out from as early as 8 o’clock on Tuesday morning, dressed in all black and accompanied by a marching band that followed them up and down the roadway, to and from the school gates.
“We tiad a di s*#$t stench,” they chanted.
While the school admitted to having a number of representatives from the NWC and NEPA visit to take a look at the problem, no real resolution has been provided.
“Our staff members are very disgruntled and uncomfortable with the stench that has been coming over on us from the nearby sewage plant for years now. It has made the teaching-learning process a serious challenge. Our staff members can no longer continue in this condition, our students can no longer continue in this condition,” said Ricardo Ross, principal of the Greater Portmore High School.
MEDICAL CONCERN
Ross and several members of the staff argue that the issue has evolved from being a matter of discomfort to being a medical concern.
“As you would have seen at the gate, several of our staff members have to be living on prescription medication. A lot of them have exhausted their medical cards over the year. Where is the Ministry of Health to chime in on the matter? Where is NEPA?”
Up to yesterday evening, The Gleaner was unable to get a comment from NEPA on the matter.
Williams said he was sympathetic to the institution, and assured that efforts are already under way to have the matter resolved.
“What we have been doing is to look at an overall upgrade of the facilities. We recently did the eastern set of pounds, and we are now looking to do the western set, which is coincidentally closer to the school, at a later time” he explained.
Furthermore, Williams said the resolution that can be provided to ease the problem is rather expensive. In fact, extensive works to the tune of $935 million were required last September, just to upgrade the eastern waste ponds.
“As it relates to a fix, what we are committing to is upgrading the facility to allow for greater exposure to sunlight and other elements for a quicker degradation of the sewage. But that does not mean that when rain falls you’re not going to have any odour. That is just how the facility works,” he said.
While the NWC battles with the expensive resolution, the Greater Portmore High School contemplates its next move. Following today’s protest, Ross said he was unable to guarantee normality at the school going forward.
He, along with other senior administrators, is to meet with the NWC and the Ministry of Education and Youth today.