More than four months after it was reported that a malfunctioning sewage system at the Belle Air housing scheme in Runaway Bay, St Ann was discharging raw sewage into the streets and a small river, the problem remains.
Health officials say the sewage treatment plant continues to pose a health risk because it is not treating the sewage entering it.
Chief public health inspector for St Ann, Leroy Scott told the monthly meeting of the St Ann Municipal Corporation (SAMC) that checks by his team show that the treatment plant is still not operating.
Speaking on Thursday, December 8, at the SAMC, he said the plant was visited the day before and was still overflowing.
The plant for the scheme was the responsibility of the Housing Agency of Jamaica and it was finally turned over to the National Water Commission. However, the HAJ has not repaired the re-lift facilities and equipment to get the sewage into the plant.
Mr Scott said it had been arranged for a cesspool emptier to remove sewage but that was a stop gap measure.
Councillor for the area Carlton Ricketts told the Times that he was tired of the situation. He said he had been complaining for over three months and cannot understand why the ´problem remains.
Councillor Carlton Ricketts
Leroy Scott, chief public health inspector
