- Ian Allen/Staff Photographer
Students of the Greater Portmore Primary School in St. Catherine enjoy a few minutes of play on the school's playground, yesterday. This a few days after a 10-foot crocodile, which was in this canal went through a hole in the fence and on to the field, was captured and taken to the Hope Zoo in St. Andrew.
THE GREATER Portmore Joint Council is concerned about the threat that crocodiles pose for children and residents of the community.
Heather Wallen-Bryan, president of the Joint Council, says the reptiles are their greatest problem.
The community links the prevalence of the creatures to the 'malfunctioning' sewage plant serving the area, around which the creatures congregate.
"Are they going to wait until a child is attacked before something is done?" Mrs. Wallen-Bryan demanded yesterday. A 10-foot crocodile was removed from a schoolyard at Greater Portmore Primary on Monday. None of the children were harmed.
George Lee, Mayor of Portmore, is also looking into the situation.
He and the Joint Council president say that water from sewage ponds overflow into the drains, attracting crocodiles which live in the mangroves close by.
"It is dangerous to the community. The problem has to do with the sewage plant itself, which we are concerned that it has not been properly maintained," Mr. Lee told The Gleaner.
The crocodiles travel in the canal and crawl on to nearby properties.
The drain currently runs through the sewage plant compound and alongside three different schools the Greater Portmore Primary, Basic and High schools.
On Monday, the crocodile entered the primary school through a hole in the fencing.
The National Water Commis-sion (NWC), which manages the sewage plant, claims that there is very little that can be done by the agency to deter the reptiles.
"If you check worldwide, you will see that sewage plants usually attract crocodiles, because it is source of food for them," Courtney Lawes, vice-president of the eastern division, told The Gleaner.
The Gleaner went on a tour of the facility yesterday, where Mr. Lawes noted that the National Environment and Planning Agency (NEPA) monitored the plant frequently and removes the crocodiles that they detect in the ponds or drain.
Mr. Lawes also said that work was being done by the NWC to upgrade the sewage plant.
"We have done our assessment and the repairs and upgrade have already started," he said.
The sewage plant was constructed by West Indies Home Contractors (WIHCON) in 1991, which was retained under contract to operate and effect minor repairs to the facility.
The plant serves a number of communities, including Greater Portmore, Christian Gardens, Braeton phases 1-7, Cedar Grove and Cedar Manor.
In December last year the commission took back operational control of the plant.
Mayor Lee said he would be seeking talks with the Ministry of Health and NEPA in the coming week to find a solution to the crocodile problem.
"It is dangerous to children and I am calling upon NEPA and the Ministry of Health to do something about it," he said.
