Contamination and pollution at Goodies Dam cause great concern
“I have found overflowing sewerage lines leaking contaminated water into almost all the waterways that lead to the dam."
Abraham de Bruyn believes that countless contaminated waterways in Birchleigh are to blame for pollutants flowing into Goodies Dam.
De Bruyn said that as an avid walker, he is continually disgusted by the state of the waterways he passes.
“During the Covid pandemic, I lost my business and my house. For a while, I was homeless and began walking everywhere.
“That was when I started to notice just how bad the pollution in the waterways in Kempton Park was.”
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De Bruyn said all of the waterways lead to Goodies Dam.
“I have found overflowing sewerage lines leaking contaminated water into almost all the waterways that lead to the dam,” he said.
Last week, de Bruyn took the Kempton Express on a tour of some of the areas that concern him the most.
At the river near Beukes Road off Pretoria Road, De Bruyn pointed out the petrified remains of a horse.
“Further under the bridge are more black bags with other animal carcasses,” he said.
The light grey water flowing under the bridge smelt of sewerage, something de Bruyn pointed out was a common occurrence along the rivers.
“It’s the same at all the other rivers. You will find all kinds of contaminants.”
Near the Birchleigh train station, De Bruyn showed the Kempton Express where he had found an overflowing sewerage line.
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“Sewage flows out of this pipeline all the time. It flows straight into the waterway and when it rains the entire area floods with raw effluent. This has been going on for years,” said De Bruyn.
A third stop on the waterway tour ended at the Green Avenue bridge where more dumped refuse was found.
Additionally, the Kempton Express was also shown where yet another sewerage manhole was open allowing for raw effluent to be pumped into the waters.
In the April 18 edition of the Kempton Express, it was reported that the exponential spread of hyacinths of the Goodies Dam was attributed to sewage, pollution and industrial chemicals.
De Bruyn believes the various leakages in the waterways should be the main focus for the City of Ekurhuleni.
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“I grew up in this area. When I was a child we used to play in these rivers. There were fish and families used to picnic along the river banks,” he said.
The Kempton Express sent an enquiry regarding contaminants around Birchleigh to the City of Ekurhuleni for comment.
The enquiry was sent on May 9 and comment was requested by May 14.
At the time of going to print, no comment was received.
