Sewage stench @ Ivan Dawson Primary School ‘terrible to endure’
Last evening, February 10, 2020 at a community meeting at the Ivan Dawson Primary School, residents demanded that their District Representative, Hon Melvin M. Turnbull (R2) summon Premier Fahie to an urgent community meeting at the school to address the issue.
Persons complained bitterly about the stench of sewage at the pump station at the back of the school, with some saying it was causing them much discomfort, including headaches.
‘It’s terrible to endure’
One resident said she has long been engaging the relevant authorities on the issues.
“If you think it’s bad out here now, eight or more hours from now, it’s terrible when they come to pump. So it’s not just the children here. I notice that the windows are closed most of the times… but it’s awful when they are pumping, it’s terrible to endure.”
Hon Turnbull spent time explaining various attempts at arresting the issue and also reminded that the very issue existed back in 2015.
He also said he was told the truck purchased to assist with the waste disposal cannot handle the terrain to operate effectively.
He also said there are only three of eight sewerage pumps in working condition.
“What has been going out there (system close to the school) is not completely treated material…”
Make meeting with Premier a matter of urgency- residents
While it was suggested that residents resort to personal septic tanks, Hon Turnbull explained that the government system can work once implemented properly.
“Because the bid as I understood went in are between three million, five million, and ten million dollars and is only for the road network. In here it’s another two million, three million and seven million, a lot of millions.”
Hon Turnbull also told residents it was his intention to invite the Premier to a meeting with him and residents.
Those at the meeting demanded that this be done with urgency, insisting that the Premier makes it a priority to meet them at the school to experience the stench that teachers, students and residents of the community are enduring on a daily basis.
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9 Responses to “Sewage stench @ Ivan Dawson Primary School ‘terrible to endure’”
The hired firm taskings should include delivering operational and maintenance personnel training, as well as commissioning of the plant. A state-of-the-art designed, well constructed, effectively maintained and properly operated wastewater treatment plant has high quality odor control. In other locales, wastewater treatment plants are located in residential areas and they are hardly noticed.
The days of VI dumping raw sewage into the sea, a vital environmental resource, raw sewage running in the street, foul, breath taking odor…..etc should be put in the rear view mirror and in the dung heap. Proper wastewater management is a standard of living and quality of life standard in First World countries. It is time the VI join that league. The VI has a $414M budget and an approx $1B Gross Domestic Product (GDP) so funding should not be the issue; it is an effective planning, programming, budgeting……etc issue. It needs to rollout/phased as one would eat an elephant——- one piece at a time. Let’s geh ah dun!