A PINETOWN resident has once again appealed for a permanent solution to a sewage leak that has continued to flow along Gordon Road.
Residents, Mark and Ann Poland said the situation has spiraled out of control as, every two to three weeks, they are forced to endure a horrendous sight and smell.
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This sewage is right next to the couple’s main gate. “My husband recently dug a trench to stop the sewer from flowing underneath our gate,” said a concerned Ann.
Besides the horrible smell and an eyesore, Poland said it has become a health risk for both them and their dogs.
“I have seen them lick the sewage water,” said Ann.
According to Poland they have been told that this sewer comes from a mainline pipe.
“The situation gets unbearable in the mornings and afternoons as it flows rapidly. Although the plumbers do eventually come out, half of the faeces is usually left behind,” she said.
She noted that the raw sewage would then run into the rive that is adjacent to Stapleton Road. “Our concern isn’t just for us, but for the people who walk along Gordon Road and have no way around it,” she said.
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The Ward 18 councillor, Melanie Brauteseth said she has repeatedly requested for a full investigation to be conducted and for a permanent solution to be found.
“Yet again, this reveals the underlying issue of crumbling infrastructure and the municipality’s failure to adequately plan for essential maintenance and to stock essential equipment,” she said.
“The relevant unit has been tasked to attend to the matter as soon as possible. A team has been sent to the site.”
The eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela reiterated that blocked manholes continued to be a problem in the City, despite the speed he said the City moved at to attend to the blockages.
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“What is compounding our woes is that some members of the public continue to dispose of foreign objects into the system, resulting in it to block.
The City does receive reports of manhole blockages from time to time and its responds to them. Within a short space of time we find ourselves having to go back to square one,” said Mayisela.
He added that the City’s other concern was with land invasion. Mayisela noted the illegal residents would illegally connect to the City’s infrastructure, with material that is not compatible with the system, and it resulted in malfunctions.
“eThekwini will never derive any joy from subjecting its residents to manholes that are blocked. For us to be able to win the war against blocking manholes, we need to work together unceasingly by heeding all the calls made by the Municipality to residents to refrain from dumping foreign objects into the system,” he said.
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