A SOMERSET Park resident has bemoaned the state of the watercourse running through the area’s green belt. The belt which is home to a range of indigenous trees also has a natural stream running parallel to the back gardens of homes on Somerset Drive.
Howard Quinn, who has lived in the area for three and half years said the problem was the stream, now covered in thick vegetation and was stopping the water from flowing freely.
“When I moved in it was much like this but the issue is the water build-up is causing the blockage of the stormwater drain which sits at the beginning of the watercourse which in effect stagnates and attracts pollutants.
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“The other issue is from a security point of view, some residents who share their boundary walls with the watercourse to cut back some of the vegetation but in other areas, the overgrown bushes go all the way up to the back of the properties. So it is also a security concern,” he said.
uMhlanga ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, said he would ask the City’s coastal and stormwater department to deal with the issue.
“One of the engineers from the department would need to come out and have a look at the water levels and how they are being affected. Because of the water build-up near the stormwater outlet, when it rains, the water has nowhere to go and floods the section of the road.
“I think the residents would like the vegetation trimmed back a little in order for the eco-system to thrive,” he said.
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