RESIDENTS living in Pitcairn Road, Carrington Heights, are still being forced to live with raw sewage running through their properties and are demanding a permanent solution be found to deal with the problem.
The issue was highlighted in Berea Mail in July 2019 after resident Leonard Girodo complained about a blockage in the sewer line which led to raw sewage lifting the cast iron lid off the inspection drain in his property and flowing like a waterfall into his garden.
Girodo said the problem first arose after heavy rains in 2016, when he discovered raw sewage running into the river system below the properties.
He said the municipality attempted to clear the path up to the D’Moss area below the properties in the road and cleared a drain at one of the properties, but the problem reoccurred.
This was the start of it, and since then Girodo said the same happens around two to three times a year.
He wants the municipality to sort out the problem permanently, and suspects the roots from trees in the valley have damaged the sewer pipes. He was told the Parks Department would clear the area, but to date, no action has been taken to tackle the problem.
Last week, resident Richard Clark contacted Berea Mail saying there had been a blockage at a property up from him, and he had noticed sewage flowing at the bottom of his property some ten days previously.
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“I saw a puddle of sewage at the bottom of our property. It was flowing like a river through the bush beyond. I contacted the ward councillor on 5 February but had no joy from him. I phoned the municipality numerous times, was put through to sanitation, but was put on hold and got nowhere. There is no service for ratepayers. I know about customer service, being in the hospitality business, and I just get the general feeling that the municipality is not interested in this problem. This is so unhealthy,” he said.
He said he had been suffering from headaches from the stench and that because it was so hot, he couldn’t keep his doors and windows closed to block out the smell during the day.
Clark reiterated what Girodo said about clearing the bush below the properties.
“They need to clear the bush and see what the problem is with the sewer lines and what is causing these blockages. It is about preventative maintenance and service delivery. They need to sort out the problem instead of sending people out all the time to unblock pipes, it is a waste of money,” he said.
Commenting on the issue last week, Girodo said there had been a large leak in his property from 11 to 14 December, which was then cleared, and then again from 28 December to 10 January.
“They put a camera in the pipe and said that all the pipes are damaged and would have to be replaced from 74 to 90 Pitcairn Road. They only sent someone to clean up the sewage sludge on 31 January. They have not bothered to put the camera in further up the road where the sewage was bubbling through the ground this month. We could smell it at our house down the road,” he said.
PR Councillor, Thabani Mthethwa, who was made aware of the issue last year, said he would address the issue with the relevant officials.
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