Raw sewage flows in Moneague Lake
published: Saturday | June 11, 2005

Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer

Ocho Rios, St. Ann:

Tonnes of raw sewage from communities in Moneague are being dumped into the Moneague Lake daily, creating a potentially hazardous environmental situation in the community.

The St. Ann Parish Council on Thursday attacked the Ministry of Health and the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) for their inaction in addressing the problem. Reports are that for several months, raw sewage from the Moneague College and two nearby housing schemes has been flowing through an open drain on the premises of the Moneague Primary School. The housing schemes are located on a hill above the primary school.

"The school has had to be using its money to buy disinfectant to throw into the drain regularly to keep down the stench," Lloyd Garrick, councillor for the Moneague division, told the monthly meeting of the parish council, on Thursday. After leaving the school, the sewage then enters a gully that leads into the Moneague Lake, he said.

epidemic

Anger over the situation had been festering for some time, but passions were further inflamed when Secretary Manager of the Council, Dorothy Delgado, asked the gathering whether the authorities "were going to wait for the outbreak of an epidemic in Moneague before taking action."

Mrs. Delgado said that as far as she was aware, the National Water Commission (NWC) was responsible for monitoring the sewerage plant and the relevant agencies must ensure the Commission corrects the problem as soon as possible.

Monitoring officer at NEPA, Malachi Reid, had earlier told the meeting that sewage generated by 1,500 students at Moneague College and by nearly 2,000 residents in the two housing schemes was being dumped directly into the Moneague Lake. Mr. Reid said the legal department of NEPA had been in touch with the NWC and was in the process of reviewing the situation before recommending appropriate action.

Explaining the seriousness of the situation, Mr. Reid said the sewerage plant at the college was malfunctioning due to an overload of effluent and that it was a similar situation with the plants at the Rose Hall Housing Scheme and the Jack Wilmot Scheme. He said that due to the flow of effluent into the lake an unpleasant odour is now coming from that body of water.