This HTML code represents the structure of a news article. It includes:This HTML code represents the structure of a news article. It includes: 1. Article Title: The article title is “News.” 2. Author: The author of the article is “Josette Nicole Deonanan.” 3. Date/Time: The article was published on June 26, 2024, at 4:44 PM. 4. Featured Image: The article has a featured image showing a leak from a water pipe. 5. Article Body: The article body discusses two leaks in a 24-inch water main in Beetham Gardens that have been repaired. It also mentions the ammonia stench and sewage problem in the area. 6. Additional Content: The article includes a quote from a resident, a photo of the residents protesting the sewage problem, and a Facebook script.
News
Josette Nicole Deonanan
16 minutes ago
A leak from one of WASA’s main water pipes in Eetham Gardens, near the priority bus route on June 25. – Photo by Faith Ayoung
TWO leaks in a 24-inch water main in Beetham Gardens have been repaired, Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) assistant corporate communications manager Gregory Roxborough said on June 26.
Speaking to Newsday on June 26, one resident joyfully exclaimed, “I could finally bathe properly!”
The repairs come after two leaks were discovered in a main pipe on the eastern carriageway of the Priority Bus Route. The leak left many homes in Beetham without a water supply.
When Newsday spoke to residents on June 25, one disgruntled resident said: “We can’t get water to our homes and WASA trucks just drive by on the bus route, see the leak and do nothing about it.”
While residents said they were overjoyed to finally have water flowing through their pipes again, they lamented the lingering ammonia stench.
“I don’t know what’s worse: the smell in the air or the smell in the drain. You just want to throw up, and you don’t know what’s causing it.”
The ammonia problem began on June 21, when eight employees of the Coconut Growers’ Association (CGA) in Laventille were hospitalized after a chemical leak from the company’s cooling system. The CGA, other businesses and schools near Success Laventille had to close early.
What made this worse was the persistent sewage problem.
Residents say that the rainy season has not been good for them as a result.
“Trash comes into our house. All kinds of KFC boxes and beer bottles that people throw on the side of the road end up in our house when it rains and the place starts to flood.”
The resident said they were unable to contact their representatives.
“We have no one to turn to for this. Nobody cares about us when they hear us from the Beetham.’
On May 2, they protested to draw attention to the ongoing problem of sewage pipes leaking and flooding onto roads and into homes.
Joel Lee, chairman of Beetham Gardens Community Council, said: “For the past seven years we have been dealing with sewage problems without anyone from the relevant authorities coming to resolve the problem, and it has only gotten worse.
Residents of Beetham Gardens hold up signs during an early morning protest on May 2 over leaking sewer pipes. – Photo by Enrique Rupert
“There is a burst sewer pipe under the bridge (which separates phases one and two) and near the houses. The smell is so ridiculous that children ended up in the hospital.
“We are looking for our Member of Parliament (Fitzgerald Hinds), the Minister of Health (Terrence Deyalsingh); we have been in contact with Public Utilities Secretary Marvin Gonzales and he assured us he will be there next week.
During the protest, Andrew Joseph, a resident since 1974, said the issue has been getting worse.
“This never happened in phase four. Now it appears the sewage backup is spreading. It looks very messy at the moment.
“We ask the authorities: WASA – the biggest problem, we need all of you to solve it.”
