Devon Evans, Gleaner Writer
OCHO RIOS, St. Ann:
RESIDENTS OF Discovery Bay are calling for the immediate intervention of the Ministry of Health to rid their community of a "serious health hazard".
Raw sewage, they claim, from a malfunctioning sewage treatment plant at the Sea Crest housing scheme, is seeping into a nearby gully, creating an unbearable mosquito and odour nuisance in the area.
The residents also reported that the situation has made life most uncomfortable for them, and are now fearful that it could lead to some serious illness, especially for their children.
PROTEST
To highlight these problems, the residents staged a protest in the town yesterday, claiming that repeated efforts to have the developer of the housing scheme, the National Housing Development Corporation (NHDC), correct the problem have been unsuccessful.
They are threatening to stage more protests until the matter is properly addressed, and are appealing to the Ministry of Health to use its influence to compel the NHDC to rid the area of this nuisance.
Councillor for the Dry Harbour division, Jeffrey Waugh, said the situation has made life miserable for the residents and that the matter should be dealt with speedily. "I am in sympathy with these people. I have tried my best to do whatever remedial work I can with the little funds I get from the Parish Council, but at the same time, this is the responsibility of the NHDC to improve their sewage plant," he said.
