WATCH: Mini dumpsite harms the health of locals

Residents of Dayanglen are paying a heavy price for the city’s poor waste management, which has rendered the Dayanglen mini-dumpsite a breeding ground for carriers of diseases and poses a serious health risk for people living next to the facility.

According to residents of the area, the dumpsite has been a problem for a while due to the erratic removal of waste from the sites. However, things had gone from bad to worse when the site reached its full capacity recently.

As a result of the delayed waste removal from the mini-dumpsite, the odour and overwhelming infestation of flies have been making life a living hell for people living and working near the site.

Residents accused authorities of not taking the rubbish crisis seriously, saying despite filing several complaints, the authorities have not done anything to address the problem. They have not even undertaken steps to curb the rising number of flies, mosquitoes and rats, which are primarily breeding due to the piling garbage.

The Boksburg Advertiser visited the area this week and was greeted with copious amounts of flies and the foul-smelling odour from the mounting garbage.

Severely polluted
Yvette Jones, whose home borders on the dumpsite, said the dump has severely polluted the air and often causes breathing difficulty.
She pointed out that her two daughters have developed breathing problems because of the stinking dumpsite and one of them is suffering from asthma.

“We have been forced to endure the poisonous smell of all sorts of rotting household rubbish at the dump. Let alone, the disgusting amounts of flies, rats, mosquitos and cockroaches that are driving everyone crazy here. The flies are spreading germs wherever they go,” said Yvette.

Her sentiments were echoed by her partner, Regan, who added that many families living near the stinking dump are forced to stay indoors all the time as a result of the terrible fumes in the area.

“The problem is getting out of hand. Even the sticky fly paper in the house and the flycatchers outside are overwhelmed by the number of flies.
“Almost every house and business here are complaining about the same thing,” said a disgusted Regan.

Flies swarm school
The poor waste management is also taking a heavy toll on the children and staff at the nearby school, Aspiration Academy.
The school’s Rikus Koster said the flies, mosquitoes and rats breeding at and near the dumpsite have a potentially detrimental impact on the health of the over 300 children and about 20 staff members, depending on what is dumped on the site.

He pointed out that apart from being a public nuisance, this is also harming the environment. The infestation of flies and rats that carry disease may lead to disease outbreaks in the area.

“There are flies almost everywhere. Our children are suffering, especially when it is hot. The teachers are disgusted by the situation.
“We are using fly catchers outside, but the flies are far too many to control. When you get rid of them, another swarm comes buzzing in from the dump site.

“It’s driving everyone insane that we have to put up with this terrible state day in, day out. It would have been understandable if it was just a once-off situation.
“It is unfair for the children trying to focus on school work to deal with this nuisance. We have a beautiful school, but this makes it a terrible sight,” said Koster.

The school’s Mari Koster also stated that parents continuously complain about the situation and despite the several complaints escalated to the metro, nothing has happened.

“It’s not normal and is a big health risk for us as a school. What comes from the dump is bad for our children. We would like to see the site cleaned up or closed down if the metro cannot manage it properly,” she said.

Continuous dumping
The Advertiser noticed that despite the facility being obviously full, the gate remains open and people were seen dumping their trash at the site, which in turn exacerbated the situation.

Others were seen throwing their waste over the fence and through an opening in the walled fence that appears damaged.
Residents from the nearby homes said they have also noticed that the gate remains open, saying they can understand why the workers leave it open for people who arrive to dump their waste.
The residents claim in many instances people swear at the workers and then start dumping outside the gate if they find the gate closed, resulting in the rubbish strewn on the pavement and at the gate.

Poor performance
The city has not yet responded to our request for comment, but according to the area’s ward councillor, Ashley Hoods, the stinking problem at the site is as a result of the contractor’s failure to perform on the agreed obligation stipulated in the contract.
“I’ve received several complaints from residents, including Jones and the matter was escalated to the relevant department.
“It is a disgusting situation. I was told that the contractor had been issued with a notice for its failure to fulfil its obligation and there were also promises made that the site would be cleaned within five days, but that has not happened.
“I am hoping that the issues related to the contract will be resolved soon to get the job done at the site.”

Stumbling block
Meanwhile, an insider, who asked not to be named because of not being authorised to speak to the media, the major stumbling block to delivering services, including waste management, is as a result of the alleged warring camps inside the city’s political and administrative offices.

The Ekurhuleni mayor Tania Campbell also hinted at these claims in a press statement, saying the delays by the council to sit and adjudicate over the proposed adjustment budget severely impacts service delivery.

She said as part of the processes, the city needs to make additional funds available to the waste department to procure desperately needed new trucks. This will ensure that waste collection is stabilised and that this department operates at its full capacity.
“Should this budget not pass, the city will find itself in a financially precarious situation which will have dire consequences for service delivery – ultimately negatively impacting the four million residents of Ekurhuleni.

“Myself and the multi-party coalition government implore all political parties represented in the city to take cognisance of the magnitude of this in the adjustment budget and endeavour to allow council processes to take place unhindered,” said Campbell.

Not a new problem
This publication reported in October, last year, that those residents were subjected to a disgusting state when dumped rubbish was found strewn across the pavement outside the Dayan Glen dumpsite.

At the time, the city said to the Advertiser this was a result of labour issues at the service provider who was appointed to manage the disposal site.

It was reported that employees of the service provider were not paid their salaries. The city had to make arrangements to fast-track the payments of outstanding invoices submitted by the service provider.

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