Sewage hurting business owners

As the stench from overflowing sewage at the intersection of Sutton and East streets in Kingston continues to stain the air, the tolerance of residents and vendors alike has grown thin. They told THE STAR that the sewage has been affecting their livelihoods for almost a month.

"At one point I thought they were trying to fix it but I don't see them come back all now and I was looking out for them," Sherene Dorma said.

Dorma, 39, who lives and operates a small business on Sutton Street, said the sewage has stalled her business, plus she has been getting sick.

Smell the odour

"Me a sell here so about three months and me live right here too, and me a tell you when the rain fall, the breeze blow the scent come up even stronger; it stink bad," she said. "Me sell like natural stuff that are homemade, so when people come and are interested to buy and them smell the odour, them just walk pass. Me barely a sell nothing."

She added: "Me all a get sick because me have to inhale the scent, it give me a cold. All when we in the house we can't breathe. We have to go to the back or turn up the fan really high to blow it out." Dorma said she is also particularly concerned about her colleague who has had business fallout due to the issue.

"There is another vendor who is much closer to the sewage than me, and him sell like fruits, so nobody definitely not buying from him. He even had to put some tyres and old drum to stop the water from splash on him things when car a drive pass," she said.

A restaurant operator on East Street, Judith Brown, said the stench form the sewage is not good for her business.

"When people smell that, they will not feel good to buy from us. I want them to clear it and it come back normal," Brown told THE STAR.

Andrew Canon, corporate public relations manager at the National Water Commission, said that "We are aware of the problem and steps are being taken to address it.

"As part of those steps, a contractor has been engaged and work will be ongoing to have the situation effectively remedied," he said.