Contaminated spruit due to poor service delivery – Atlasville Organisation
The Atlasville Organisation has lamented the environmental disaster in Atlasville due to the appalling service delivery, lack of urgency and accountability from the Ekurhuleni metro.
Shane Bailey, chairperson of the organisation, says they have not received a formal response from the metro with regards to the now contaminated Atlasville Spruit.
“Raw sewerage has been pouring into the Bird Sanctuary on the corners of Venus and Goud Streets (behind the complexes in Goedeburg and opposite Ashton school).
“Run-off water from the Bird sanctuary flows into the stormwater drains which then channels underground into Star Street and exits at Gompou Street into the Atlasville Spruit,” explains Bailey.
This water he says then runs into the feeder lakes in the greater Benoni area, namely the Homestead Dam, Middle Lake, Civic Lake, Kleinfontein Dam, and then feeding into the Blesbok Spruit.
“We still haven’t received response to four simple questions from the metro, such as what is the anticipated timeframe for the reconstruction of the damaged sewerage lines in the Goedeburg area, when will the breach into the Spruit be halted, what are the proposed plans to clean up and restore the area once the sewerage spillage has been halted, and what other measures will be taken downstream of the breach to rectify the contamination and rehabilitation of the ecology and environment?”
Bailey points out that there is a timeline of events leading up to the problem at hand, starting from February 27 this year.
Following these events and numerous complaints to the metro, on September 3, he says Ward 23 Clr Andre du Plessis confirmed that the sewer lines were finally unblocked.
“This would provide temporary relief and prevent future spillages. There was still no confirmation when the collapsed sewer system would be completely repaired and reconstructed. Concerns were then raised regarding procedures to clean up the contamination of the Bird sanctuary and Spruit.”
Bailey says the lack of urgency to contain and repair the sewerage spill should not be left unchallenged.
“This incident has resulted in great discomfort to the majority of residents. Had the sewer complaints been adequately resolved in February, this disaster could have been averted. The cost of poor service delivery must now be counted.”
* The Atlasville Organisation is a community organisation which was established in 2006, with the vision to increase community participation and interest within the suburb of Atlasville.
The main mission of the organisation is to provide a communication platform for the use of Atlasville residents. – @TumeloBoksburg
