#Letter: Pothole quick fix crumbles
The municipality says a permanent solution is being investigated.
The Beacon estate manager Nigel Dewhurst writes:
My letter and photograph published on August 14 raising concerns about a pothole and possible sinkhole developing on Ocean Drive outside The Beacon estate, refers.
The next day a KwaDukuza municipality (KDM) repair crew did arrive to fix it. Or so I thought.
They simply poured concrete into the potholes. When I pointed out that pouring concrete into a hole filled with water would not set hard, the team shrugged their shoulders and said this was what they had been told to do.
A week later the concrete has indeed been broken up by vehicles and the potholes are once again developing as before.
One would assume KDM has suitably qualified civil engineers working for them, but if this is the best they can do I am not convinced.
If this is the standard of work acceptable to KDM civils, it is pathetic and an insult to ratepayers. Are we seriously expected to accept this?
I have held meetings with civil engineering and specialised storm water management consultants who all said the same thing.
The only way to stop the seepage of naturally occurring sub-surface water causing wet road surfaces and thereby the potholes, is to install subsoil drains linked to the storm water reticulation system.
If I as a layman can determine this, why is the KDM civils department incapable of arriving at the same conclusion?
KDM spokesperson Sifiso Zulu responds:
The Civil Engineering Services Department did conduct its own investigation. They found that the seepage is from the driveway of the estate. The estate is allowed to channel the seepage from their property to the stormwater channel provided by the Municipality.
Once that has been done, the Municipality can then implement a permanent solution to deal with the road condition which has been caused by the seepage.
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