PIG PEN SMELL A CAUSE PROBLEM INA PORTI

ANGRY residents of Long Bay in Portland are again calling on the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) to give urgent attention to their concerns regarding a foul smell coming from a pigpen that they say is affecting a school and businesses in the community.

Residents say the smell, which they believe is as a result of pig waste, has been affecting the community for years and have insisted that the agency have sought to do nothing about it.

“Whenever it rains we smell the faeces. It’s not good for us and is long time dis thing a gwaan, from about three or four years now. We called the sanitary inspectors and dem jus come look and nothing else,” Kyrah Smith, who lives on Martha Brae Road in the community, told the Jamaica Observer North and East.

Smith said what is equally disturbing are the actions of the owner of the pigpen, Sean Cooke, who she said has been very disrespectful.

“Him seh is only dogs and john crows live up here, so we fed up; we can’t take it anymore. NEPA come and take pictures and leave. That is all them do, because him work in the health sector, so them not doing anything about it. Him seh nobody can stop him from doing what him doing,” the angry woman said.

Cookshop owner Yvette Sutton also lamented the inaction of the environment agency and has argued that the odour is now posing a serious threat to her business. The woman said tourists travelling in the area who stop by her business place oftentimes question the stench borne by an ill wind.

“One white lady was there one evening and she ask mi seh if one sty deh nearby and mi tell her seh it’s in the area, but not close by the shop. A next man couldn’t take it. The smell is bad, really bad, and not to mention when rain falls. My grandchild goes to the school; you can’t have pigpen and children deh here to learn. It’s bad,” Sutton, who lives in the nearby Fair Prospect Housing Scheme, said.

Observer North and East spoke with Cooke who did not deny residents’ claims of disrespect, but said he was working to resolve the issue.

“I’m waiting on the tractor man to come dig a pit. The inspector told me to dig a next pit because the pit that is there is full. I was supposed to do it from yesterday (September 19), but the man couldn’t come,” Cooke stated.

However, Celsey Simms, another resident from the community, said Cooke was told by a health inspector who visited that he was to have completed the pit by Wednesday, September 14.

“Several complaints have been made about the smell of the pigpen. Whenever it rains an offensive smell comes up. At nights, you have a lot of flies and it is disturbing. We have made complaints down by Blackrock Health Centre; we’ve had meetings about it. However, nothing has been done about it and we continue to have the children going there (Seaview Basic School), and we have problems with it and nothing is being done about it,” Simms argued.

The parent said residents have even tried to come to an amicable solution with Cooke, but he has “refused” to co-operate.

“We even contacted the guy about the pigpen and he has refused to do anything about it. So we would like to know what the authorities plan to do about it. NEPA came and spoke with him and he said he would fix the situation, which was last Wednesday (September 14). However, last Wednesday has passed and nothing has been done about it and we are concerned because people living in the vicinity might become sick. He even made a pit where the waste ended up being disposed in the community,” the woman said.

Principal of the school, Claudia Smith, said up until recently the school had been badly affected, but that the situation has somewhat been curtailed.

Efforts to get a comment from NEPA were not successful.