Ladysmith KZN: uThukela mayor monitors sewer-related issues
Improper disposal of waste creates environmental hazards and obstruction of drains, says uThukela
uThukela District Mayor Siphiwe Mazibuko, accompanied by Deputy Mayor NW Mchunu and officials, embarked on the monitoring of sewer blockages in Steadville, Tsakane, Acaciavale and KwaMthandi yesterday (April 8).
This formed part of the ongoing Municipal Service Delivery Monitoring Drive. According to uThukela, monitoring and responding quickly to service delivery concerns and complaints is vital. These visits seek to improve service delivery in the district for the benefit of the respective communities.
Mayor Mazibuko said that water and sanitation programmes are a difficult battle to win, but they won’t rest until they find a permanent solution to ensure that community members live in a hygienic and healthy environment.
The team was led by the mayor, who was joined by Ward Cllr M Mbatha, Cllr G Hlubi, Cllr T Njoko and a Water & Sanitation team. They visited various persistent sewer blockages, sewer storage tanks and households in Steadville, Tsakane and Acaciavale, where there are complaints of sewage overflowing inside yards.
“A large percentage of the sewer blockage complaints attended to are caused by foreign objects in the system. In some incidents, foreign objects such as rocks, animal parts and items of clothing are found lodged into the sewer system,” explained Mayor Mazibuko.
uThukela urged the communities visited to adopt healthy and hygienic ways of waste disposal, as improper disposal of waste creates environmental hazards and obstruction of drains.
To reduce sewer blockages, residents are requested to refrain from doing the following:
- flushing foreign materials down the toilet;
- dumping waste into manholes;
- blocking sewerage pipes.
According to Sanitation Superintendent Mr M Njoko, the practice of dumping foreign objects causes damage to municipal infrastructure.
The mayor stressed that vandalism of sewer storage tanks causes major setbacks to service delivery, as the municipality has limited resources to repair infrastructure.
The last stop was at the KwaMthandi water storage tanks, where the team from Technical Services told the mayor that they are now only waiting for a booster pump to supply water to the community and fix some leaks to the tank. Councillors were happy to see the mayor and his team intervening in this situation the community is facing.
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