South and East Belfast Sinn Féin -- Building an Ireland of Equals

Site visit highlights Orchardville flooding problems

Published: 11 September, 2009

Balmoral Sinn Féin representative Vincent Parker this week held a meeting with residents of Orchardville Crescent and a site engineer from NI Water to discuss the issue of overflowing sewers at the back of homes in the area. This meeting took place on Tuesday 8th September.


Vincent Parker said,

"The problem of overflowing sewers at the back of a number of houses on Orchardville Crescent is unacceptable. This overflow occurs on a regular basis and results in the back gardens of a number of properties in the street being covered in sewage. Not only is this highly unpleasant for the residents but it also represents an obvious health risk, especially for families with young children.


"I had contacted NI Water to requested a site meeting with one of their representatives so that residents in the area could make their views known, and also to see if we could identify a solution to this problem. This meeting took place on Tuesday and involved myself, a number of residents and a site engineer from NI Water.


"I welcome the fact that this meeting has taken place and that immediate blockages in the sewers in this area were cleared. However, this is merely a short-term measure. The need for increased capacity at the local area pumping station was identified as the main problem.


"I have asked that the site engineer present at Tuesday's meeting supply me with a technical breakdown of the problems which he identified in relation to the local area pumping station. This will allow us to identify what steps will need to be taken to ensure that this problem is resolved once and for all."

CRÍOCH