RESIDENTS of Matheran Road in Avoca say urgent action is needed to address a longstanding sewage leak which has made their lives ‘unbearable’ for the past two and a half years.
Recently, Northglen News was contacted by a group of concerned residents who said their health is being compromised by the leak. The residents said the leak has led to an increase of flies and mosquitoes in the area, and an intolerable stench as waste water is carried into a natural stream on the road on a daily basis.
The leak has hit residents living at the bottom of the dead-end road the hardest with raw sewage flowing on the road and in one case, causing a partial collapse of a driveway.
Read also: Durban’s aerotropolis set to attract R1-trillion investment
Prince Nkwanyana said he fears he may not be able to access his house if the leak isn’t fixed soon.
“The level of the stream mixed with waste water has risen and is now level with my collapsing driveway. It is not safe for my wife and two young children to go anywhere. I had to place a piece of cement into the waste water to allow my wife to access the driveway which collapses more and more everyday. I don’t feel safe and even though I’ve been assured by the City the problem will be attended to, it never is. It’s very frustrating for me and the other residents because beside the driveway collapse, the situation is unsanitary and there are flies and mosquitoes breeding in the dirty water,” he said.
Palla Soloman, said he too had contacted the municipality who assured him the problem would be attended to.
Read also: DUT VC refutes the claims of security negligence
“They said the problem starts on Firwood Road and the issue would need to be fixed there first before attending to Matheran Road. However, another resident was told there is no budget to fix the issue which is equally concerning and shows the municipality don’t know what they are doing.
“There are more issues on Matheran Road which need addressing, including the widening of the road, but the sewage leak is the most pressing. This is a health hazard and nobody is taking the situation seriously,” he said.
You can also sign up for news alerts on Telegram. Send us a Telegram message (not an SMS) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5532. 
Here’s where you can download Telegram on Android or Apple.
