Willie Maphosa, the JB Marks spokesperson says the upgrading of the sewer system in Ikageng Ext. 11 was designed to service at least four wards.
‘Ext. 11 and the nearby areas were originally planned for low-density populations with never an eye on the future of population growth,’ says Maphosa.
‘Consequently, with the current exponential growth of the population in the area, the system has buckled under pressure. The sheer numbers of people who are migrating to the area are putting a strain on the system whose capacity is now found wanting. The result is the constant spillage on the roads of Ext. 11 and some homes.
‘Additionally, the constructors commissioned by the municipality to work in the area are confronted by the problem of vandalizing and trashing of manholes that they working with. A lot of foreign objects such as diapers, pieces of blankets and even rocks are thrown into the manholes and thus block the system. Much of valuable time is lost by the constructors having to make several return rounds to unblock these manholes,’ says Maphosa.
He further explained that the project should have been completed at least by December. ‘However, because of the intermittent rains, the difficult soil type as well as the vandalism and trashing of manholes the project has been terribly slowed down. At least 50% of the works have been completed as of now.’
Maphosa says the municipality has designed a system that could withstand the service demands for at least 15 years.
‘The nature of the work demands that urgent attention first be given to completing the main sewer line first, thereafter the sidelines going into residents would receive full attention.
The municipality makes a strong appeal for co-operation with communities involved and appeals to community members to desist from trashing the manholes and the system and thereby help in speeding up the completion of the project,’ he pleaded.
