The vlei is believed to now be a health hazard as the water is contaminated.
Boksburg ward 23 Clr Andre du Plessis says the vlei was upgraded a year ago to prevent flooding of the surrounding houses.
“Some of the excess clay material was dumped into the bird sanctuary along Venus Road, on top of an existing sewer line, putting undue pressure on the line,” he explains.
Du Plessis says that as a result of the collapse, there has been a blockage in the sewer line, resulting in the sewerage not being able to flow to the pump station.
The sewerage he says then flows directly into the bird sanctuary as well as into the surrounding stormwater drains.
“Pipes are filling up, and manholes in the surrounding areas are overflowing,” he says.
Du Plessis points out that the bird sanctuary has a natural stormwater overflow into the Atlasville stream.
“The sewerage water is now flowing freely into the Atlasville stream at a rate of thousands of liters per day, which has been ongoing for several weeks.
“The Atlasville stream leads into the Benoni lakes which flow into the Blesbok Spruit , which flows into the Vaal Barrage area where we get our drinking water from.”
This sewer pollution of a natural resource he says is a contravention of the Constitution of South Africa, which is denying the community a safe and healthy environment to live in.
The community together with the sixth Benoni Scouts as a community service project recently embarked on a cleaning campaign of the vlei and its surrounding areas.
The group was, however, prevented from venturing anywhere near the water because of the contamination.
Shane Bailey of the Atlasville Organisation has also attempted on numerous occasions to get assistance from the metro in resolving the matter.
He has gone as far as writing an open letter to Mayor Clr Mondli Gungubele requesting rehabilitation of the stream and any further water courses.
Du Plessis has deemed the problem an ecological disaster for the environment of the area and says the metro should see it as a crisis and emergency.
“I have been trying to get a health inspector to conduct water tests at the inlet from the Bird sanctuary to the Atlasville stream, so that I can inform the community, but the inspector told me she is too busy and will get back to me when it suits her.
“I have requested the Boksburg Health Department, which has been most helpful, to advise us on how we may control the contamination of the stream; I am awaiting their reply.”
He appeals to the community to not allow their pets to swim in the stream or let their children play or ride bikes in the stream until such time as they have been able to cleanse the stream of all possible E. coli pollution.
“Bacterium Escherichia coli (E. coli) is an emerging cause of water-borne illnesses. The presence of E. coli in water is a strong indication of recent sewage or animal waste contamination.
“I will continue to get regular water tests done even if I have to go to a private laboratory to make the results known to the community. I will persevere until the stream is clear of all traces of E. coli, and or other contaminants.” – @TumeloBoksburg
