An elderly woman in Scottsdene is despairing after being told by a municipal official that she would have to sell her house and move in order to escape the ongoing sewage spills in the area.
After the third sewage spill in less than 10 months Elizabeth Daniels (74), a lupus sufferer who has lived in First Avenue for 45 years, says she lives in frustration and helplessness.
“We were told by the same official at the municipal offices in Kraaifontein that the sewage infrastructure was never properly upgraded when the latest low-cost housing was developed in the area several years ago and that the growing number of backyarders at the same development is overloading the system. He said it was not going to get better,” says Felicity Daniels, daughter of Elizabeth and a high school teacher in Kraaifontein.
It started in September last year when Elizabeth’s house in First Avenue was submerged in sewage for four days after it pushed up in her shower and backyard due to blockages in the sewer line.
The City took four days to unblock it as the manhole was covered with sand and refuse.
“But the cause of the blockages had clearly not been addressed as new sewage spills occurred on a monthly basis when the winter rains started this year,” says Daniels.
“The stink is horrendous, you cannot live. The sewage dams up under my kitchen windows and the damp has now come into the walls and my kitchen floors have lifted. I’m surrounded by sewage and can’t go outside when this happens,” says Elizabeth.
But most of all the family fears for their health.
Elizabeth’s son who had to help clean up the mess in their backyard after the September spill, contracted hepatitis soon after and was hospitalised for three days.
Hepatitis A has been widely associated with exposure to raw sewage.
“My elderly mother is constantly exposed to sewage which brings with it a plethora of health risks. But nobody thought about these risks when new developments were put up. Nobody thought about what effect the additional strain on the sewage system would have on the existing houses in the area,” says Daniels.
“It is clear that the system is not sustainable for the growing population and that serious intervention is needed,” says Daniels.
Vandalism and theft
Elizabeth is desperate over what to do next and is pleading with the City.
“I have lived here for 45 years, where do I go now, what do I do?”
Zahid Badroodien, the City’s Mayco member for water and sanitation, attributes the cause of the constant sewage spills in First Avenue to vandalising and theft of sewer manhole covers.
“Unfortunately, most of the houses in the area discharge their household sewerage into the municipal sewer line that runs behind the properties in the midblock of Bontebok Street. There is constant vandalising and theft of sewer manhole covers which is the root cause of the sewer blockages due to the dumping of sand, stones and other inappropriate objects into the open manholes,” he said in a statement to TygerBurger last week.
A jet truck was also sent to the area last week, starting on Monday to undertake extensive cleaning of the sewer network.
According to Badroodien no upgrades were required on the existing sewer network with the most recent development in the area being the Scottsdene low-cost housing project, as the capacity was sufficient.
“Overflows will continue to happen as long as inappropriate objects keep getting put into the sewer system, and as long as people keep stealing and vandalising the infrastructure that provides this essential service. The maintenance teams have replaced the stolen covers with fibre cement covers as it has no scrap value,” he said.
Dumping
Badroodien confirmed that the City plans to invest R426 million into the replacement and upgrade of sewage pump stations and related sewer infrastructure over the next ten years.
“While continuing investment in infrastructure and proactive maintenance is important, the number of overflows is unlikely to reduce noticeably unless residents start looking after the infrastructure by putting waste in the right place.
“In some cases, sewers can reblock even within days or hours of being unblocked due to high levels of dumping in the system. This can create an impression that the City does not respond to complaints, and reporting is a waste of time.
“The City apologises for the inconvenience experienced and thanks the resident for bringing this to our attention. We would like to assure residents that we promote a solution-driven culture and work hard at solving challenges that may arise.”
More information about sewer blockages can be found at www.capetown.gov.za/blockedsewers
