There could be a light at the end of the sewage pipeline for residents in Bonaero Park.
For residents, the City of Ekurhuleni’s failure to find a timeous solution to issues at the Bonaero Park pump station has cost them their quality of life.
But this may be a thing of the past as it is hoped that work on the outfall sewer project will commence at the beginning of May.
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In the April 20 edition of the Kempton Express, Yolindie Leipoldt said the raw sewage flowing through her property since January has severely impacted her children’s health.
The problem is compounded during times of load-shedding when the pump station does not operate.
“The pump station barely functions when we do have power and when the power goes out during load-shedding it’s then a dam of sewage flows into my backyard. The station cannot keep up with the volume of sewage pumped through it daily.”
Mere days after the Express visited Leipoldt, CoE teams were on-site to address the matter.
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“The sewage water has drained from a hole on my property. Whatever was left turned to sludge and was sprayed with a chemical several times by a contractor,” Leipoldt said.
She added that the grass has died and the smell in her backyard is horrendous.
The Express was told that on April 18, contractors on site found that one of the two motors at the pump station had malfunctioned after it was submerged in sewage during load-shedding.
According to the information received, a team managed to replace the motor that was flooded and both pumps were functioning properly.
In response to questions asked by the Express in the April 20 edition, spokesperson for the City of Ekurhuleni Zweli Dlamini said the pipeline from Bonaero Park to Pomona pump station was initiated as part of the phasing out of the Bonaero Park sewer pump station.
It was hoped that this would address overflows due to lack of capacity and cater for future development in Bonaero Park and Pomona areas.
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“The designs have been completed and approved. The city is in the process of allocating a contractor from the sewer panel of contractors, which was recently awarded to start with the installation of the outfall sewer pipeline.”
He said previously no funds were alloacted to the pump station alone.
“Funds allocated were for overall sewer infrastructure on the Bonaero Park, Pomona and Bredelsewer lines.”
“Work will be done over multi-years with R13m available for the 2022/2023 financial year to address the pipeline.
There is a provision made in the 2023/2024 budget to continue with the project but confirmation of the allocated amount is subject to the final budget approval,” said Dlamini.
He added that load-shedding had caused the flooding of the motors at the pump station.
“The city is upgrading the pumps from dry well centrifugal pumps to submersible pumps to avoid damage when the pump station overflows during load-shedding.”
He said the process is underway to obtain an electricity generator as a form of alternative power supply.
Dlamini confirmed that trenches were dug around the pump station in Bonaero Park to stop overflow sewage from flooding Leipoldt’s property.
He said residents can report any sewer blockages, overflow and spillages to 011 999 3901 or 086 054 3000.
