THE WATER and Sewerage Authority has completed its repairs and restoration to the underground sewer system on Main Street, Beetham.

In January, Beetham residents blocked the highway to protest the overwhelming stench and overflow from a broken sewer.

The smell was eliminated after the pipeline was replaced, albeit after the completion dates provided by WASA.

The street is currently covered in dust, mud and a large mound of dirt, which continues to affect residents and children who attend Excel Beetham Estate Government Primary on Main Street.

Newsday visited the site on Tuesday morning to determine its progress but a WASA foreman deflected all queries to the corporate communication unit. A water truck was seen releasing water on the ground to keep down the dust.

Communications manager Daniel Plenty spoke briefly with Newsday after the visit and said all substantive work has been completed. All that's left, he said, is to rehabilitate the area by fixing the roads and removing the debris.

"We're working on completing the civil and restoration works," Plenty said. "The major works on the project, which has to do with the sewer pipeline and having the sewage flowing through the pipeline again, has been completed.

"What you're seeing taking place there is really the work to rehabilitate the area and then to restore the roadway completely."

[caption id="attachment_942439" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]

WASA issued a statement on January 10, after protests by residents, in which it said it wanted "to clarify any misinformation or misunderstanding by members of the community, regarding the ongoing works to replace a collapsed segment of 47-inch diameter concrete sewer pipeline along Main Street."

That statement said work was on course to be completed by January 31. It said WASA started work in the area on October 15.

Newsday asked Plenty if there was a particular reason for the delay of over a month in completing the work.

He replied, "Well, it's not a month. You could probably refer to the last (statement), but it's not a month. The last time frame we would have given providing for completion of the project would have been coming to the end of February or there about."

WASA's last statement on the matter, issued on February 9, in fact said it was in the final phase of the project, which followed "an unfortunate delay as works was (sic) temporarily suspended on the project after an employee of T&TEC fell and was injured at the job site (the week before).

It said, "Following the incident (the) Occupational Health and Safety Authority conducted and concluded its investigations and the Authority was cleared to resume works. As a result of this occurrence, completion of the project has been deferred to on or before February 18, 2022."

[caption id="attachment_942441" align="alignnone" width="1024"] Photo by Roger Jacob[/caption]

Plenty told Newsday, "We recognise we are a bit over (both dates provided), but again, in relation to the project and the substantiv