Just like any other informal settlement in Midrand, Ivory Park has had blocked sewers for years. Ivory Park Community Police Forum chairperson and Ivory Park resident said overflowing sewerage, blockages and the stench are things they live with daily.
He said, “It is currently an unhealthy situation, we would welcome a system upgrade.”
He stated the community would undoubtedly be sceptical of this promise. “This has been a problem for a long time. We will believe it when we see it completed,” he said.
In a statement, Victor Chewe, Johannesburg Water’s Networks Planning Manager said the City of Joburg has invested 7.4 million into the Ivory Park sewage system upgrade.
Chewe explained that the objective to replace and upgrade the 5.1 kilometres of the sewer network is to improve service delivery and minimise the need for network repairs and maintenance.
According to the statement, “The project, which started in the 2013 to 2014 financial year, mainly involves the replacement of sewer pipes with ones with much bigger diameters to increase the system’s capacity in order to meet the growing population density of 184 000, according to the 2011 census.”
