Sewage spills into uMngeni River
“The stench on Brown's Drift is unbearable and I have received reports from people saying they became ill after paddling in the river over the weekend. They had tummy cramps and diarrhoea,” said Shontel de Boer.
WARD 35 councillor, Shontel de Boer, says she is concerned about raw sewage spilling into the uMngeni River due to the Joanna Road pump station not being in operation for several months.
“I was told by the City officials that there are several illegal connections at the pump station, which has caused the fault at the pump. Furthermore, there is nothing the City can do right now as officials who have tried to fix the pump, are being shot at by residents who are illegally connecting electricity,” said de Boer.
She added that officials have told her that they “have a plan” to get the pump repaired.
“The stench on Brown’s Drift is unbearable and I have received reports from people saying they became ill after paddling in the river over the weekend. They had tummy cramps and diarrhoea.”
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De Boer said she urges residents to exercise caution when near the river and postpone activities, such as fishing and swimming, until more details on the spill become available.
“I have seen individuals complaining about the spill on Facebook, which is not the correct channel to report incidents of this nature. Please lodge a complaint at the municipality and get a reference number, or contact me should you be affected by this,” she said.
Wessa KZN chairman and a member of the uMgeni River Conservancy, Margaret Burger said the uMngeni Estuary between Browns Drift and Thames Roads has had an outfall that “smells so bad even motorists know something is amiss”.
“When there is a large in flow of raw sewage and river users becoming ill, our Amanzi Ethu Nobuntu team tries to track the source of the illness and then raises alarm. Infrastructure requires maintenance and checkups. When these are absent there is a slow decline which is only recognisable when the water systems reach a tipping point of collapse,” said Burger.
She added that residents can all be citizen scientists and make use of the eThekwini Water and Sanitation WhatsApp on 073 148 3477 to report sewage and water leaks.
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