Sewage seeps into Edenvale
“The city must acknowledge I am having a problem and help solve it.”
Sewage flowing into a stormwater servitude has raised alarms among the community.
Eastleigh residents again brought this persistent problem to the attention of Bedfordview and Edenvale News in mid-June.
The residents claim sewage discharges into the servitude started again in mid-June.
They said the discharges follow the same pattern as previous occasions reaching the High Road stormwater channel in the late afternoon and lasting several hours.
ALSO READ: Sewage from Elandsfontein not affecting Shelton Avenue Park – CoE
According to Dr Irwin Juckes of Edenvale River Watch, sewage was entering the Harmelia stormwater servitude at the stormwater outfall at the corner of Kruin and Finger streets.
At the location, Bedfordview and Edenvale News could smell the sewage and detect some chemical odours.
A continuous stream of grey-coloured water flows from three of the four stormwater pipes into the channel, which turns into a cesspool of discoloured water littered with debris.
Although it is at this location where the sewage enters Edenvale’s water system, Ward 92 Clr Kade Guerreiro believes the source of the sewage stems from further afield.
Because of the ongoing sewage crises in Elandsfontein, the lay of the land and that the city’s stormwater infrastructure is all linked, Guerreiro believes the waste flowing into Edenvale is from Elandsfontein or entering the system through damaged stormwater infrastructure.
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Guerreiro said both Elandsfontein and Klopperpark have large backyard dwelling problems and illegal connections to the stormwater system may have attributed to this matter.
He said this problem has existed since he became a councillor in 2021 but has gradually gotten worse.
In May, Guerreiro raised concerns about the condition of stormwater maintenance and sewage flowing into Shelton Avenue Park.
Despite his beliefs, the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) stated sewage from Elandsfontein was not flowing into Shelton Avenue Park’s stormwater system.
In the hope of demonstrating the severity of Elandsfontein’s sewage problem and explaining why he believes the sewage is flowing from Elandsfontein, Guerreiro has invited the speaker of the council, the relevant MMC and representatives of the communication department to visit Elandsfontein to see what he sees and deals with.
“In this situation, community members are being negatively affected by the odour of the sewage. Having this around their properties brings flies and vermin,”
He believes the flowing sewage has also devastated the ecosystems of the local river systems.
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He said residents, specifically those around Shelton Avenue Park and business owners are at their wit’s end.
“Harmelia and Highway Gardens are known to be affluent areas but who would want to buy a house when faced with sewage and its stench,” asked Guerreiro.
“Some people have spent a lot of money on their house and now have to deal with the sewage problem.
“It is a terrible situation we are facing,” he said.
He said although the stormwater servitude has the potential to look beautiful it has been allowed to decay.
ALSO READ: Wetland plagued by sewage spills
Guerreiro said if he is wrong and the sewage is coming from elsewhere and not Elandsfontein he asked that the city inform him where the sewage is flowing from.
“If it was from the industrial area, Klopper Park, or a neighbouring area that’s fine.
“The city must acknowledge I have a problem and help solve it.”
He said as the councillor, like residents, he is also at the mercy of the city.
“Continually denying that there is a problem is not going to resolve the problem.”
To remedy the situation Guerreiro believes the city first needs to find the source of the sewage before fixing it.
“There must be systems in place that the city can get into these pipes to find where it is coming from.
“Look at all the neighbouring areas and find a solution to stop the flow.”
Guerreiro said with the city having just approved its budget there should be no excuses not to repair the necessary pipes and problems similar to the sewage leak.
ALSO READ: Dukathole residents fed up with leaking sewage
He said once the source has been identified and infrastructure repaired specialised cleaners will need to be called in to ensure that the sewage-affected areas can be rehabilitated.
“We need to resolve this problem because although it may start here where does the sewage end up flowing,” asked Guerreiro
He said it might start as a small problem but communities have seen how little problems can grow, if not given the right attention.
“Before it gets further out of control we need the municipality to help rectify it.”
A request for comment was sent to the CoE on June 26 requesting comment by June 28 at 13:30.
At the time of going to print no comment was received.
