A 40-year-old mother of two children has been experiencing a problem for two months now where the sewage from the house has been backing up, overflowing in the yard and producing a repugnant smell which is permeating the house, creating severe discomfort for her family.
Teshauna Headley who resides at Lot 4 Princes Street, Werk-en-Rust, related to the Stabroek News that for about two months, the house sewage that goes into the outlet in her yard has been clogged and overflowing into the yard. This has created an unhealthy environment for her children, ages 19 and 9, and her grandmother.
She said that what makes it even worse is that when it rains, the yard floods and the water is mixed with the sewage making it more unhealthy for her family.
The woman recalled that about two or three years ago, she had a similar issue and Guyana Water Inc (GWI) responded and built the sewage outlet in the yard; she was told that it was against the bylaws to build a septic tank in the city. The sewage outlet in her yard is connected by pipes to a chamber located on the property next door. That the lot is currently unoccupied and heavily overgrown with thick bushes and in order to inspect the chamber which is likely blocked, the bushes have to be cleared.
Headley stated that she called GWI but was told that the bushes were high in the next lot and that they cannot locate the chamber.
In an effort to have the issue resolved, she even had some men help with clearing the bushes, the last time the GWI personnel showed up, but they still could not locate the chamber. Having to pay to weed the bushes next door, she said, was unfair because she has to absorb that cost, added to which she was also trespassing on property that did not belong to her.
At present, Headley is stuck with the tedious and unpleasant task of washing down her yard every time the sewage overflows as the GWI has not resolved the issue. The visibly frustrated woman said that the last time she called the head of the sewerage department for assistance in the matter, he hung up the phone. She recommended that GWI get hold of a map that would indicate where the chamber is so that the problem could be fixed.
According to GWI, its Sewerage Department has been actively responding to a complaint about an overflow of sewage at Lot 4 Princes Street, Georgetown. However, access to the chamber has proven a challenge.
A team was dispatched to the location after receiving the complaint on August 13, it said and found the empty lot on which the chamber is located covered by thick vegetation. After extensive clearing, the team discovered that the land was graded resulting in the chamber being completely covered. GWI said the team was expected to return with drawings of the approximate location and would carry out excavation work to access the buried chamber. GWI said that the customer has been updated in this regard.
GWI explained that the city’s sewerage network is designed with inspection and collection chambers used for investigation and maintenance. When access to these chambers is prevented, clearing of clogged sewers becomes difficult. It cautioned that the Water and Sewerage Act (2002) deems the covering or encumbering of the sewer chambers and manholes illegal. The sewerage system is also designed to be seamless, but the discharge of harmful materials sometimes results in blockages, it added.
(Subhana Shiwmangal)
