Garth Rattray SOME YEARS ago I came across the aftermath of a minor accident. A motorist had rear-ended a cesspool emptier truck. You can certainly guess what he exclaimed just before the moment of impact. Although I could see the humour in the mishap, I also know that the disposal of sewage is a serious matter. Proper disposal is essential to our health system and natural resource conservation. Many thousands of homes, businesses and some government concerns depend on cesspool trucks for their sanitation needs. These trucks discharge their loads into designated sewage treatment plants owned and operated by the National Water Commission (NWC). Sewage treatment plants also receive wastewater from municipal sewage systems.
It was related to me that there exists a chronic, unhealthy, dangerous and deplorable situation at the non-functional treatment plant at Greenwich Town where cesspool trucks from all over must empty their contents. In order to see for myself I travelled in the company of the owner/operator of a popular cesspool company for protection because I heard that truck drivers are sometimes robbed at gunpoint.
DUMPING GROUND
This NWC property has also been used as a dumping ground for the bodies of victims of foul play and it is a well-known corridor for gunmen from Greenwich Town, Union Gardens and other places.
The approach to the facility made me feel that I was leaving civilisation behind and entering another dimension of sorts. There was an unsettling eerie feeling surrounding the property and it seemed to follow us inside. Debris was strewn about the dilapidated grounds. It is extremely unhealthy and in dire need of bushing and care. Shoulder-high weeds and shrubbery were everywhere and I thought that armed robbers might emerge from between them at anytime. A huge oil patch spread itself out and I wondered if it too entered the wastewater system. Save for the solitary NWC employee dutifully collecting vouchers from the truck drivers, the entire place had the distinct look of administrative abandonment. Each truck must present one pre-paid $250 voucher purchased from the NWC before discharging effluent into the "treatment plant" (a misnomer for sure).
The NWC plans to increase this dumping fee, I am told that it may go up to as high as $2000 (for some trucks). I saw a small team of masons and their supervisor in the process of constructing two new dumping bays to facilitate this new fee structure. These new bays will measure each truckload so that accurate fee calculations can be made based on the truck size. My guide reminded me that although a lot has been said and is being done about instigating the new fees, nothing concrete has been said about replacing this useless, unhygienic and dangerous plant. It remains unsafe, non-functional and empties hundreds of thousands of litres into the nearby sea daily.
IMAGINED SAFETY
I watched as cesspool trucks from near and far came and went with some frequency. It took about 15 minutes to empty each 1000-gallon truck. Drivers who make this risky journey everyday habitually sit quietly inside the imagined safety of their vehicles while silent treatment tanks with archaic inoperative apparatuses stand motionless amid a dark-green murky mire.
Although we all know that a properly functioning sewage treatment plant is practically odourless, I was nonetheless stunned that this non-functioning one reeked so much of rotting flesh, effluent and putrid garbage. Several feisty, well fed flies buzzed around the vehicle and sad looking trees kept vigil in the still, humid early-afternoon air. The stench was unbearable and the visual impact nauseating. To my absolute amazement, amid all this, a food vendor sat with her baby a few metres away. I felt as if I had entered a surreal netherworld. I was happy to leave.
We all appreciate the financial dilemma in which the NWC finds itself. However, there needs to be some urgent attention given to this untenable situation. The NWC workers and the drivers for cesspool companies, who must use the defunct Greenwich Town treatment plant, are constantly at risk from criminals and infections although they perform an essential duty for society. "Out of sight, out of mind".
Dr Garth A. Rattray is a medical doctor with a family practice.
