Businesses in Baxters Road have been suffering as a result of the backup of sewage onto that street over the past two days.
Pharmacy assistant at Total Care Pharmacy, Nicole Trotman, said yesterday that the store had to keep its doors closed for the better part of Thursday because of the stench. She added that at one point the road was full of sewage and customers were bringing it into the store, causing workers to be continually mopping the floor.
She said she lost sales on Thursday because one of the sewage holes was directly in front of her business and as the team from the Barbados Water Authority (BWA) was washing down the road she had to keep her doors shut, so customers thought the store was closed for business.
The owner of Persaud’s Variety, who did not give his name, said in his 20 years operating there he had never seen such a situation. “The sewage has been backing up since Saturday and the toilet here overflowed over the weekend,” he said.
He said the workmen initially came on Sunday but did not return until Thursday after the sewage started to overflow. “The main line ain’t clean for a while now,” he said.
Barber shop owner Dhaniram Mahase said the problem was in the making from as early as last month when his toilet overflowed. He said although it had not recurred he was hoping the situation would be rectified quickly.
Yesterday, staff of the Barbados Water Authority’s (BWA) Bridgetown Water Treatment Plant continued to drain sewage from two drains just outside Jordan’s Supermarket and Persaud Variety.
The owner of Persaud Variety said the BWA team had been cleaning the drain from about midday Thursday, with trucks making several trips back and forth. He said when the BWA team left on Thursday night the problem seemed to have been resolved, but by yesterday morning the sewage was flowing again.
One patron at Persaud’s Variety placed the blame for the situation squarely on the shoulders of restaurateurs and food stall operators.
“You cannot blame the Water Authority for these problems. It is you and me who keep putting the grease in the drains,” he said.
Officers of the Royal Barbados Police Force directed traffic and caution cones were placed in the road.
When contacted on Thursday night, chief engineer of the Wastewater Division, Elvin Jordan, said he was unable to comment until he had assessed the situation fully. Up to press time, no response was received from him.
