Welverdiend sewage leaks pollute river

Welverdiend residents from the bottom part of the town have complained about sewage leaks for months. Large quantities of sewage flowed from a manhole on the sidewalk next to 9 25th Avenue in Welverdiend in the past week. The spill has caused problems, on and off, for over a month.
The leaking sewage causes a terrible stench in the area, and people have complained about related health issues. So much wastewater has leaked that it has flooded and damaged the street.
Meanwhile, considerable sewage has also been leaking from another manhole at the corner of 18th Street and 26th Avenue. It flows into a ditch and straight into the Wonderfonteinspruit. According to residents, it has also been there for months.
The Potchefstroom branch of AfriForum tested this water for possible traces of cholera last week. Although they did not find cholera, they found E.coli and other bacteria that could make people sick at all three places where they tested.
As the water from the Wonderfonteinspruit flows into the Mooi River, where Potchefstroom eventually gets its drinking water, pollution around Welverdiend and Khutsong could also affect this water.
The Herald took the matters to the municipality and asked whether it had notified the Tlokwe Municipality in the Potchefstroom area of the sewage in the river.
“Recurring blockages cause the leaks. The municipality will attend to the matter. The Wonderfonteinspruit is not for drinking water. The municipality conducts tests monthly. The leak reoccurs and has been resolved,” the municipal spokesperson said last week.
Despite this, sewage was still leaking at the corner of 18th Street and 26th Avenue on Monday
afternoon.