THE Water and Sewerage Authority (WASA) was yesterday ordered to pay damages after a business place had to close for 45 days when a faulty underground main line caused raw sewage to flow onto the compound.

As he dealt with the lawsuit brought by Matthew Edwards, Justice Frank Seepersad called for WASA, as a matter of urgency, to consider a comprehensive review of the nation’s sewer systems and said aged mains should be quickly replaced to avert an impending health and environmental crisis.

The judge added, “WASA cannot be an acronym for ‘Wavering, Apathetic, Supine or Atrophic’; instead it must stand for an approach which is ‘Wilful, Attentive, Strategic and Alert.”