On Friday, a public hearing was held from the city council chamber in which residents of the Jacob Riis complex in Manhattan, struck by the alleged presence of arsenic in their drinking water which was later defined as a mistake, expressed their opinion on their discomfort and received a detailed apology and explanation from NYCHA.
“We ask them to repeat the tests and give us an answer, a true answer because they say and affirm that there has never been arsenic in the water,” says Yesenia Vargas, a resident of Jacob Riis Housing for 15 years.
During the hearing, several council members supported the residents, assuring that there was a lack of transparency and good communication during the water trials and that it was several weeks before they gave a concrete answer to a question that began at the beginning of. August, it was that I extend until September, and that more than 2,600 people have described as delicate when it comes to the water they drink, use for cooking and for bathing.
Alexa Avilés, a Brooklyn borough councilor, says they are looking for an answer: “We ask for correct information, we ask how they do the work they do at NYCHA and when there is a problem, how do they solve it, right?”
Lisa Bova-Hiatt, NYCHA’s interim CEO, said the administration recognizes its shortcomings and needs to do a better job of managing their suppliers, communicating with residents, repairing critical mechanical systems in their buildings, and that they need to develop. a standard protocol for any situation involving cloudy water.
A press conference was held prior to the hearing with the participation of GOLES, “Good Old Lower East Side” for its acronym in English, an organization that, together with the municipality, has supported affected residents.
Cesar Reyes, Director of GOLES Organizers, says: “Also, they want credits for their income, credits for the expenses they have had to incur in the time they have been without water. Another very important detail is that many of them have still lived in their units without gas, and we have been talking about it for more than a year. “
Both city council members and affected residents are calling on NYCHA management to maintain transparency and timely communication in the face of any future crises in order to avoid anxiety and fear for its residents.
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