Sewage infrastructure needs upgrade, says Durban councillor

ONGOING sewage issues in Umbilo and Glenwood have led the ward councillor, Mmabatho Tembe to believe that there will be no solution to the problem unless infrastructure is upgraded.

This comes after continued reports of a sewage leak in Cato Road, Glenwood.

Sewage and toilet paper was reported flowing out of a manhole in the road last week. Berea Mail also noted a sewage leak further up Clark Road, at the intersection at Masizi Kunene (South Ridge) Road.

Councillor Tembe said there had also been ongoing issues in Ellis Brown Road and in Pigeon Valley Nature Reserve as well as in lower Umbilo/Congella.

Tembe said: “There are massive sewage issues in and around the ward and most of them have been reported and escalated. I have emailed the head of Water and Sanitation, the deputy city manager and city manager regarding the issue. The crux of the matter is the sewage system has not been upgraded to fit the increase in population in the area. Every time the leaks are reported, the municipality comes to clear the blockage but in no time it is blocked again. Now the pipes have cracked and need to be replaced. The City needs to replace the aged infrastructure, but as this will cost money, the council is ignoring the problem, this isn’t going to fix it, there needs to be a solution,” she said.

Tembe said she would be following up on the issue daily as the problem needs to be sorted out once and for all.

“Residents pay rates and deserve help. They shouldn’t be living in sewage and filth, especially in Covid times,” she said.

ALSO READ: Ongoing sewage issues in Umbilo a concern

EThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said blockages are caused by foreign objects and illegal connections in the system, and had nothing to do with the infrastructure’s age.

“The issue of blocking manholes continues to be a problem in the City, this is despite the speed that the City moves with to attend to such blockages. What is compounding our woes is that some members of the public continue to dispose of foreign objects into the system resulting in it to block. The City does receive reports of manhole blockages from time to time and its responds to them but within a short space of time we find ourselves having to go back to square one,” said Mayisela.

He said the municipality faced a serious concern of residents who are invading land, and who later on connect illegally to the sewage system, with material, which is not compatible with the system, resulting in it to malfunction.

“eThekwini will never derive any joy from subjecting its residents to manholes are that blocking. For us to be able to win the war against blocking, manholes we need to work together unceasingly by heading all the calls made by the Municipality to residents to refrain from dumping foreign objects into the system,” he said.

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