BY: ANTONIO DEY | HGP Nightly News|
Residents of South Cummings Lodge say their repeated cries for help are being ignored as stagnant, sewage-contaminated water has persisted for weeks, threatening their health, damaging their homes, and overwhelming their community. The situation, they claim, stems from ongoing infrastructure work by a private businessman that has blocked a key drainage canal.
“Six Weeks of Filth and Mosquitoes”—Residents at Breaking Point
Standing ankle-deep in murky water, resident Kamini Sugdio told this publication that the canal behind her home has been completely blocked.
“My concern is that they blocked the entire canal, so my water cannot be drained out of my yard. That water is contaminated with everybody’s sewage… and it’s been like this for over six weeks,” she lamented.
Sugdio said she raised the issue directly with Minister of Housing and Water Colin Croal and NDIA CEO Lionel Wordsworth during a recent ministerial outreach. An engineer was dispatched, but no remedial work has been done since.
She now fears the unsanitary conditions could trigger a dengue fever outbreak.
“Mosquitoes Biting Up My Grandson”—Residents Describe Health Hazards
Other residents echoed similar concerns, saying the stagnant water has become a breeding ground for mosquitoes and a source of raw sewage contamination.
“The flooding is really terrible at the back. The mosquitoes bit up my grandson—torn out his skin,” one resident shared. “When the rain falls, the trench water rises and flows back into everybody’s yard.”
Some residents were told to “make a drain from back to front,” a suggestion they say is unreasonable.
Fences Collapsing, Homes Flooding, Livelihoods Affected
For Nandrani Sahalio, the issue is also structural. She alleges that the businessman’s digging damaged her boundary fence.
“I come out several times and tell them not to come close to the fence. They continued digging, and now my entire fence is falling out,” she said.
Another resident, a diabetic woman, said stagnant water has repeatedly flooded her apartment. “This is not safe. I want this matter looked into immediately.”
A widow reported losing livestock:
“I lost my chickens in the floodwater. My grandchild is very sick from mosquito bites and contamination. I have nobody to help.”
City Engineer Confirms Work Order Issued
When contacted, City Engineer Colvern Venture confirmed that the Mayor and City Council’s engineering department issued a work order to the businessman, as the works are occurring on public alleyways.
Venture said he and other engineers visited and assessed the area, but residents insist that no action has been taken to restore drainage or protect their homes.
As the stagnant water continues to rise, residents fear that serious illnesses—and further property damage—may be imminent unless urgent intervention is taken.
