After hundreds of fish died and thousands of litres of sewage streamed into the Crocodile River, Mogale City Local Municipality still has not commented on the matter.
Read: [VIDEO] Sewage kills hundreds of Crocodile River fish
According to a local resident and riverside property owner, Robert Treptou, a municipality must treat a sewage leak, like a fire, as an emergency.
Treptou is a registered health, safety and environment consultant who spoke to the News about the damages done.
In mid-December the News reported about the hundreds of dead fish in the Crocodile River after a sewage leak had been found. The sewage is said to have contaminated the river from the pump station manhole (where the pipe had broken and from where the sewage was flowing) possibly all the way to Hartebeespoort Dam. On 13 December, residents living near the river had trouble breathing and complained about “a burning irritation” in their eyes and on their skin.
“Chemical elements found in human waste serve as food for algae and bacteria. They use the oxygen, which results in the aquatic population being killed,” he said.
Since becoming aware of the leak, Treptou had tried to report the matter to Mogale City, the Green Scorpions and the West Rand District Municipality (WRDM).
“After no success at Mogale or the Green Scorpions, a health inspector from WRDM responded to my complaint,” Treptou said.
Almost two weeks later the leakage stopped because Joburg Water employees had found the problem. Days later, the broken pipe finally was repaired.
On 29 December, Treptou said, no sewage was flowing into the river. Bio-chemical treatment, the process of removing contaminants from waste water, was applied to the river and by early January the sewage smell and the colour of the water had improved greatly.
“But more rehabilitation still needs to be done,” Treptou said.
When the News contacted Nkosana Zali, Mogale City’s spokesperson for comment last year, he was unaware of the leakage. The News yet again asked for comment, but none was forthcoming.
It is not clear yet whether the problem was the responsibility of Mogale City, the West Rand District Municipality or Joburg Metropolitan Municipality.
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• [VIDEO] Sewage kills hundreds of Crocodile River fish
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