A sewerage disposal site situated along Lower Boksburg Road is causing bitter frustration for Delmore Park residents due to an unbearable smell of faeces inhaled by residents on a daily basis in the area.
The site is situated a few blocks away from the residential houses.
According to the fed up residents, for the past few years, they have had to deal with a lingering stench of faeces coming from the nearby site.
They have accused local contractors who use the site to discharge the collected faeces from informal settlements across Boksburg and Germiston of negligence.
One of the residents, Wayne Van Zyl, said they have reported the matter numerous times to ward 33 councillor Ashley Hood’s predecessor but nothing was done.
“Now, due to the change of seasons, the smell has become worse, causing environmental and health problems. We want that smell gone; we cannot live like this. We want the municipality to find another disposal site because we have seen that they can’t maintain this one,” Van Zyl said.
Another resident, Jemi Basson, claimed she has witnessed some of the trucks offloading the waste outside the manhole instead of inside, causing a sewerage spillage.
Echoing the same sentiments, Hilary Peterson who uses the Lower Boksburg Road every day when she goes to work, said she has to close the windows of her car because of the horrible smell when she passes the site.
The Advertiser visited the site on September 9 with Ashley Hoods and some of the residents and observed that the site was an eyesore with sewer spillage outside the designated platform manhole.
While the Advertiser was at the site, contractors continued with their daily job of discharging the waste around the platform manhole.
When the Advertiser asked some of the workers working for the various contractors they highlighted that they have been discharging waste at the disposal site for the past 10 years.
They mentioned that the system that they are using was the correct procedure.
According to Hoods, who has escalated the matter to the metro’s water and sanitation department, the dilemma was a total disgrace and disregard for the Delmore Park community.
He added that the disposal site proved that there was a lack supervision and maintenance from the metro’s water and sanitation department.
On September 11, Hoods met with the officials from the metro as well as some of the contractors at the disposal site to observe the state of the site as well as observing if the discharging process is being carried out properly or not.
“After the site visit it was found that the contractors failed to discharge the waste and sewer in a responsible and compliant manner.”
“The department mentioned that they will take corrective steps to ensure stricter compliance. If contractors don’t comply the department highlighted that the site will be forced to close and alternative arrangements will have to be made,” Hoods said.
The Advertiser is still awaiting comment from the metro.
Also Read: Sewerage leak in Bartlett cause for concern
Also Read: Backyard covered in sewerage resolved
