After years of complaints to the Mayor and City Council (M&CC), residents of Freeman Street, East La Penitence yesterday took action and removed the thick vegetation that they say clogged a drain in the area.
PNC Councillor Eon Andrews, who was among the residents, explained that the problem had been existing for some years and the owner of the property refused to address the situation even after Public Health authorities declared that the plants must be removed.
He noted that after this announcement, M&CC workers visited several times but only to make unfulfilled promises.
“The council never seem to have people to come and clear it… for years we bringing city council and they ain’t doing nothing about it; all they saying is that they gon get it dig out, they gon get it dig out and nobody ain’t coming to do that,” an affected resident said.
Several residents indicated that due to the stagnant water, numerous persons have fallen ill in the past, while noting that one woman had died after contracting dengue fever.
Apart from the heavy flooding during the rainy seasons, residents are also concerned about their safety, explaining that criminals use the bushes to hide during the nights before launching attacks.
It was reported to this newspaper that the owner of the house which the vegetation surrounds opined that the plants helped in beautifying the area, but residents were unconvinced. “Beautifying the place?
They can’t beautify outside they yard… it don’t be beautifying when rain falling… This gutter need clearing years now,” one woman said.
“People decide enough is enough, they getting sick…. We just want de drain clear for the water to run through,” another affirmed.
While men, women and children came out in a group effort to have the bushes cut down, an occupant of the home appeared and requested that the residents stop damaging the plants, while pleading for them to wait until his mother returned home.
This request was ignored and persons proceeded to remove the bushes, while they counted their losses which were all due to the plants.
