Bad governance costs lives

We ward councillors reckon we are in the frontline of the service delivery struggle. Yet there is another level where physical danger is more prevalent.

On Monday morning, I received a concerned call about a Joburg Water sanitation operator attending to a sewage complaint in Sandhurst in my ward.

When I arrived, the scene was cordoned off by emergency personnel and their vehicles.

The victim was crouched in a manhole, not showing signs of life. To one side, a group of his colleagues joined hands and bowed their heads in prayer. Some were hopeful.

But as the afternoon wore on confirmation spread that he had died.

ALSO READ: Joburg sanitation worker dies from methane gas exposure

Frontline workers are heroes, not the ones to blame

It’s difficult to imagine what this news felt like for co-workers.

Given the derelict state of Joburg, anger is often directed at frontline workers. Yet most are heroes, venturing out in all kinds of weather and dangerous conditions to perform difficult jobs.

Too many Joburg workers and contractors have been killed or injured in the line of duty. In October, two men died in a manhole in the CBD. Generator fumes were blamed.

In recent years we’ve also seen firemen perish on the job. Frontline workers have been electrocuted, others physically attacked and robbed.

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Methane gas was a factor in Monday’s Sandhurst incident. Remember, methane was identified as a probable cause of the deadly explosion in Lillian Ngoyi Street in central Joburg in July 2023.

The city manager at the time, Floyd Brink said, “We will … introduce continuous gas detection, alarms, sensors and monitors for all staff working in the tunnels.”

Great stuff, but Lillian Ngoyi remains unrehabilitated.

Messing with methane

Methane is not Egoli Gas. Methane is often found in sewers. It is produced through decomposition of human waste by micro-organisms in the absence of oxygen – anaerobically.

This can occur in different parts of the sewer system, including pipes, especially where there is slow-moving or stagnant wastewater. Manholes can also be a source of methane, especially if they are not properly ventilated.

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In addition to explosions such as in central Joburg, methane can also lead to asphyxiation – suffocation – when it displaces oxygen in confined spaces such as manholes. That seems to have happened on Monday.

From Brink’s remarks, we know the city is aware of the technology and precautions needed to mitigate methane risks. And common sense suggests that if methane is produced anaerobically, proper ventilation will help remove it from sewer systems. Like a breath of fresh air.

Sewer struggles

We will be asking questions in council and in committees to ensure that sewer safety protocols are tightened up.

There must be regular monitoring to identify areas with high methane concentrations. Workers entering sewer systems should follow safety protocols, including wearing personal protective equipment.

Portable gas detectors should be compulsory and their use should be recorded. None of this solves Sandhurst’s sewage issues, which worsen every week.

ALSO READ: Dirty water… and antics: Over 50% of municipalities face criminal action over sewage crisis

Most of the pipes are old. And it is obvious that densification development plans have been approved, and palms crossed, without due regard for capacity of the wealthy suburb’s sewer system.

There’s simply too much sewage.

Corruption, incompetence and negligence can be levellers, from Sandhurst to the CBD.

On the frontline, bad governance costs lives.