WILLEMSTAD – The Curaçao government has been reprimanded by the Ombudsman after a resident reportedly received no response for years to complaints about sewage water and persistent foul odors in his neighborhood.
The criticism is directed at the Public Works Implementation Organization (UO OW), which falls under the Ministry of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning. According to Ombudsman Keursly Concincion, the failure to respond to the citizen’s complaints is considered “improper” and does not meet standards of good governance.
The case involves a resident of Schelpwijk who says he has long been dealing with sewage water problems and strong odors in his street. According to the complainant, the situation is caused by a faulty drainage system and the lack of consistent maintenance by the government.
The resident formally asked the Ombudsman on June 19, 2025, to investigate the ministry’s handling of the issue. He stated that he had repeatedly submitted complaints to Public Works but never received a substantive response.
According to the complaint, the issue has been known for years and continues to cause serious odor and drainage problems in the area. The resident also argued that the ongoing nuisance may negatively affect property values in the neighborhood.
The Ombudsman’s investigation revealed that residents have been dealing with similar problems for a prolonged period. The complainant had already contacted the Ombudsman in 2024 about the same issue.
That earlier case was closed after the ministry carried out works that temporarily appeared to resolve the problem. However, by early 2025 it became clear that those measures did not provide a lasting solution. Subsequent complaints submitted to Public Works reportedly remained unanswered.
In September 2025, the Ombudsman forwarded the complaint to the Minister of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning, requesting a formal response. The ministry was also invited to attend a hearing scheduled for October 1, 2025.
No reply was received to the letter. Shortly before the hearing, a ministry employee informed the Ombudsman by email that the problem had already been resolved and that the ministry would therefore not attend the hearing.
The hearing proceeded as planned. During the session, the complainant presented his account and submitted photographs and videos showing the conditions in the street. He later also responded to the Ombudsman’s preliminary findings, but the ministry again failed to provide a response.
The Ombudsman concluded that the most serious issue in the case is the lack of communication with the citizen. According to the report, the government has a responsibility to inform residents about how complaints are handled and what measures are being taken. In this case, that obligation was not met.
Although Public Works carried out work in the neighborhood in December 2025, the Ombudsman stated that this does not change the assessment. The report notes that the government did not explain on what technical or budgetary grounds the works were carried out or whether they constitute a permanent solution.
The Ombudsman emphasized that the government cannot be expected to eliminate every form of nuisance entirely, but it must address structural problems in a careful and systematic way. Because no clear explanation was provided, it remains unclear whether the measures taken will offer a sustainable solution.
The complaint was therefore declared well-founded. The Ombudsman has given the Minister of Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning six weeks to provide the resident with a written explanation of how his complaints have been handled and what steps will be taken to address the issue.