Residents in a quiet Vredekloof street are appalled by the sewage overflows that continues to plague them.
When you enter into Lista Crescent the stench overwhelms you where sewage water is bubbling up from a municipal manhole and dams up on the pavement.
Furthermore, three other homes in the street have been affected where sewage has pushed up in their backyards, toilets and even washing basins. One resident who does not want to be named says it is the third time since November last year this happened.
“Every time the City opens the blockage, but the problem as a whole is not being resolved. It is obvious that there is a bigger problem that should be looked at,” he says.
Residents are having to pay private plumbers to clear the manholes in their backyard.
“We cannot live with the stench and dirt and it is a health risk to my family,” he says.
Manager of the Vredekloof City Improvement District Leon Brynard says the City will have to investigate the entire sewage line to find the fault. “Individual blockage will continue in the area if this is not done as a matter of urgency. In the meantime residents are faced with blockages and overflows two to three times per year,” he says.
The City’s Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien, says the City’s solid waste management department conducted a visual inspection and found that the sewer overflows in the area are being caused by foreign objects dumped into the system.
“Generally, the majority of blockages across the city are caused by the misuse of the sewer system. In addition, our teams regularly have to remove builders’ rubble, nappies and tyres, along with general litter from the system when clearing blockages. These blockages are exacerbated by the disposal of cooking fats into the system, which hardens as it cools and acts like glue for the other materials in the line,” he says.
Badroodien said camera equipment used to investigate sewer lines are currently being serviced.
“As soon as the service is completed, a CCTV camera inspection will be conducted. Routine maintenance will be conducted every three months,” he said.
