‘The smell, the shock’: Worcester family denied money after sewer backup destroys their basement

WORCESTER, Mass. — A Worcester family is trying to get some assistance after their basement was flooded with sewage back in November.

Aisar Maran and his wife, Misam Jasim, noticed their toilet was bubbling. City crews were working on a backed-up sewer line on Greenwood St. near Spofford Rd. When the crew returned to flush the line, Maran says water from the toilet and shower started pouring out.

“I’m going crazy. I’m screaming. All the work I’ve done to your dream house is gone,” Maran said. “I tell him hey man you messed up the house.”

He claims water rose a few inches throughout the basement, next door to his bedroom. The flooring, lower parts of walls, stairs, and bathroom needed to be cleaned and repaired. Maran called in a cleaning company to clear out the sewage and sanitize the space. Over the next few months, contractors came in to rebuild the basement.

The parents then slept upstairs with their three teens. Jasim also runs a daycare out of the home, so space was tight through the winter.

The family filed a claim back in November to ask the City to help pay for the cleaning and repairs. They claim they spent $32,000 to get the basement back to normal. That doesn’t include the costs of items they lost like towels, luggage, and more.

“We lost our Christmas our vacation we lost a lot of things,” Jasim said. “We don’t ask for this, we’re asking just to pay for what we spent.”

The claim was filed on November 25, 2025. City crews were working a sewer problem near Greenwood St. and Spofford Rd. Someone reported that the main street drain was clogged. Crews reported a blocked sewer and flushed the line.

Here is what the City of Worcester had to say on this incident:

“The City would be liable for damages sustained if it had negligently caused such damages. However, the City did nothing to contribute to this incident. Thus, without some external evidence of a problem with the sewer main, the City could not have taken any reasonable steps against any otherwise sudden blockage/backup of the sewer main. Consequently, in the absence of any liability, the city cannot legally pay this claim relating to this incident.”

The family’s original claim was denied. They filed an appeal in January. There was a hearing in March, and a claims committee made of three attorneys reviewed the information and upheld the previous decision.

The family moved to Worcester 16 years ago after leaving Iraq. They bought their home several years ago and started remodeling it over the first few years living there. They’re frustrated that much of that work was ruined by the sewer backup.

“I spent all my money fixing the house,” Maran said. “If anything happens to the house now, I cannot repair it. This is not fair.”

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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