Sewer problems all over Alberton

SEWAGE conditions in Alberton have been front page news in the Alberton RECORD twice in a row, on April 2 and March 19, dealing with the reccurring dismal sewage conditions in Dewittrus and Alberton North. Members of the community had raised concerns regarding these situations on numerous occasions.

As the community have brought this to both the RECORD and EMM’s attention, the EMM have responded to questions.

What is the main reason for all the sewage spills throughout Alberton and surrounding areas (including Eden Park)?

The main reasons for sewer blockages during March were mainly roots, sand and rags. Roots mainly occur because of trees growing in or next to servitudes, where the sewer lines run in the midblock of stands. Sand generally are being washed into the sewer system with rain water entering the system and sedimentation takes place where critical gradients occur. Rags and other foreign objects are thrown into the system by consumers, these objects should not be in the sewer systems.

Does the Metro have measures in place to solve the large number of complaints?

The number of complaints are normal for a sewer system and we have teams to deal with it. All complaints are recorded on the council’s system and areas where frequent problems occur, will be highlighted and preventative sweeping and/or maintenance will be done. Contractors are also used if we cannot attend to work with internal staff.

With all areas now more populated and home to more people, might it be that the system can’t handle the flow?

We have an electronic model of our system, and the capacity of our system is checked continuously. This informs our master plan and projects. Generally our system have more than 50 per cent spare capacity. There are no areas currently overflowing on a regular basis because of capacity problems.

Has there been any maintenance/upgrade of the sewage system over the past 10 years?

Maintenance/upgrades of the sewer system happens on a daily basis and therefore no overflows happen because of capacity problems but because of unwanted objects allowed into the sewer system by consumers.

With the problem clearly being on Metro’s side, what is being done about cleaning up after problems are fixed/attended to?

Normally it is too wet to clean up directly after a mainline blockage was opened, and therefore a cleaning team would be sent out if necessary during the next working day to clean up after the blockage.

What compensation is there for residents experiencing these types of conditions?

Any claim will be forwarded to the council’s insurers and their assessors will decide if the claim is valid or not.