POOR maintenance at Trim Park in Farningham Ridge has prompted concerned residents to call for urgent intervention by the eThekwini Municipality.
The park is surrounded by the M7, Winston Churchill Drive and Caversham Road and the Umbilo River runs through a section of it.
Resident, Iain Kerr, said the grass, alien vegetation and river banks are not maintained correctly. He alleged this was due to a “conflict” between District 9 employees and the eThekwini Natural Resources and Conservation Department.
“Cutting the grass is not performed on a regular basis. The long grass also results in District 9’s equipment breaking down and its repair budget being exceeded. If the grass is long, the grass is left in the park to decompose,” said Kerr.
“The Umbilo River bank is also treated as an area of conflict between eThekwini District 9 employees and eThekwini Natural Resources and Conservation Department. It is debatable as to which department controls the river banks. At one stage, District 9 cut the banks so that no vegetation was left and the banks were eroded by the river, which can rise between 1 000mm and 1 500mm during the rainy season,” said Kerr.
ALSO READ: Abandoned house attracts criminals
Kerr also attributed part of the soil erosion problem to the sewer manholes that popped. This erosion, he said, also exposes the sewer lines. There was a sewer line break in early January this year.
The break was attributed to soil erosion.
“The damaged area was backfilled, not compacted and restricts the course of the river. On the opposite bank of the river, there is alien vegetation that is not controlled. This vegetation restricts the river flow and adds to the erosion around the sewer line,” said Kerr.
He also made note that the attenuation pond in the park, which is now overgrown, is ineffective.
“The outlet from the pond has been badly eroded and it is possible that the two trunk sewer lines will be exposed and damaged, resulting in pollution in the Umbilo River,” said Kerr.
The eThekwini Municipality did not respond to the Highway Mail’s questions by the time of going to print.
Do you want to receive alerts regarding this and other Highway community news via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.
You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
