DOCTOR’S concern

The recurrent problem of leaking sewage on the South Coast of the island is not sitting well with a local doctor, who is deeply sceptical about the information given to the public through a recent GIS release, and feels strongly that the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) must act swiftly to remedy the problem once and for all.

Dr. P Abdon DaSilva, whose practice is located in Worthing, Christ Church, made his position known in an interview with The Barbados Advocate. His comments came as he raised concerns with the BWA about markings on the road – which he has noticed in the area in recent days – supposedly indicating where leaks of some kind exist and the gas lines.

“Having seen these markings, I am not a gambling man, but I am willing to wager a small bet that something major is happening in this area and it is my suspicion that the sewage system has been severely compromised, and I would venture to say that the sewage system is choked in this area. The problem with a choking as I understand it, is that it will require major work which will include digging up the highway and replacing the pipes. I do not believe that the Water Authority has been forthright with the residents and business owners in the affected areas.”

He added, “We heard first of the sewage system needing pumps, then grease was a factor and residents were also being blamed for putting stuff in the sewage system which shouldn’t be there, and quite frankly I think the Water Authority has been rather callous towards people who live, walk, and work in this area in particular, stretching from Worthing to Hastings.”

Over the last few weeks, there have been reports of sewage gushing from manholes along the South Coast, particularly in Worthing and Hastings, and just this week, General Manager of the BWA, Keithroy Halliday, indicated that a breach was identified in the system and that in an effort to address the persistent sewage leaks in that area, they will be linking Bridgetown and South Coast sewerage systems.

This latest development has Dr. DaSilva questioning whether the Bridgetown Sewage Plant has the capacity to cope with the additional sewage that will come its way, or if they may not be creating an additional problem in the near future.

While contending that the matter needs to be rectified, the medical practitioner is advising the BWA that any excavation of the road, whether to bridge the two systems or to fix the sewage pipes, should be done in a manner that would cause the least disruption possible to persons. In fact, he is suggesting that such work should be undertaken at night, so as to ensure that they do not cause any further inconvenience to residents and businesses in the area which have had to endure the spillage of sewage and its stench, on and off over the last year.

“The mere fact that there are markings in the road and they have identified other utilities, would suggest that they are going to have to excavate the road and since we know that the sewage pipes run in the middle of the road, it will probably cause major disruption of traffic. I raise the issue because in my case I have to wonder how my patients are going to access my office. That’s my major concern. I don’t know how the Water Authority is going to do it, but whatever they do, I hope they cause the least disruption to my patients as possible,” he added.

The doctor’s comments came as he noted that the sewage leaks will not pose a direct health risk to persons in the area, unless, he said, they ingest it.

“You are only going to get health challenges if for some reason the sewage contaminates the food in the restaurants or supermarkets around the area and that’s not highly likely. Or, there will have to be contamination of the workers and I would suspect that the workers will exercise utmost hygiene especially at this time. Other than that, you would have to swallow the sewage, so there is no real big threat,” he said.

He added, “But of course we have had to put up with the stench and splashing of sewage by passing vehicles which are not pleasant experiences.”

DaSilva added however that those who live and work in the area, while not facing a huge physical threat, have had to endure emotional turmoil throughout the course of this issue. He made the point as he noted that to date, at least two entities – a restaurant and the post office have apparently been closed on account of the sewage problem. (JRT)