Sewage leak causes a stink in
Ronny Burgerhoff said he has spent more than R10 000 to dig up his yard in an attempt to find the leak, only to discover that the leak was outside his boundary line.
AN ongoing sewage leak on the intersection of Brisbane Road and Oliver Lea Drive in Umbilo, has caused a stink for a property owner who has spent thousands of Rands in an attempt to curb the issue.
Ronny Burgerhoff, who lets a house to tenants, said he has spent more than R10 000 to dig up his yard in an attempt to find the leak, only to discover that the leak was outside his boundary line.
“The sewer has been blocking and overflowing for years,” he said.
“Those manhole covers are heavy. The force that the sewage overflow comes up at is such that it actually pushes the manhole up. The sewage runs into the storm water drain, so it is going into the canal to the harbour. It’s terrible. It’s been like this for years. Every time we have heavy rain it blocks up,” he said.
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While the line has often been cleared by the eThekwini Municipality, Burgerhoff said it clogs up again with each heavy rainfall.
“The line is blocked, it’s full of sand, but why? There must be a break in the line for the sand to get in. I think it needs to be replaced. You can’t keep cleaning,” he said.
He said he attempted to unblock the sewer last week, using his own rods, before he called in a professional plumber to assist.
“It happens so often I’ve got my own rods. I dug up my entire yard, thinking my line was blocked. If it’s in your yard, it’s your responsibility. We’ve taken out my entire line and it’s not blocked, which means the blockage is outside my yard,” he said.
The DA PR Ward 33 councillor, Sakhile Mngadi said he visited the affected areas. The issue has been reported and escalated to the head of water and sanitation in the municipality.
Also read: Plea for ongoing sewage leak to be resolved
“I have been made aware of the ongoing sewage problems in Umbilo, namely Oliver Lea Drive, Brisbane Road and Perth Place. These issues have now been reported and escalated to the municipality’s head of water and sanitation,” he said.
Mngadi called for system upgrades to address the issue.
The Berea Mail reached out to the eThekwini Municipality, but no comment was received at the time of going to print.
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