WATCH: Boskruin road looks and smells like a swamp
Residents say they soon may not be able to drive out of their driveways due to the condition of Wilgeboom Avenue.
Wilgeboom Avenue looks and smells like a swamp. Stagnant water has been left in puddles since January so that algae has formed and grass has grown in patches on the street itself.
The road in Boskruin is the latest victim to groundwater and may see a sinkhole form, yet still the Joburg Roads Agency (JRA) has no clear answer to this city-wide problem. Ward 101 councillor Ralf Bittkau is so used to the state of these roads, he throws caution to the wind as he wobbles and dances on the ground shaking beneath him.
There have been sinkholes forming all over Randburg in recent months, many because water seeps up from below ground to damage the tar. This groundwater just needs to be redirected into the stormwater system through drains, Bittkau says.
Also read: Sinkholes becoming a growing concern for the JRA
“This road is a disgrace. A truck was stuck in the ground at one point,” he said.
“JRA does not seem to know how to deal with these issues.”
Residents Christina Owen and Jeanette Pestana are fed up with this going on for weeks.
“Residents can’t drive through that road anymore, they have to go around the block,” Owen complained.
“It has also made it difficult for our patrol vehicle, as he has got stuck a couple of times.”
Pestana said if the groundwater is not removed soon, the build-up could damage the foundations of their perimeter walls and other structures.
“It will not be long before we cannot leave our house because the road would have deteriorated so significantly,” she said.
Questions were sent to roads agency spokesperson Mosa Makhalima as to how the JRA addresses groundwater problems in general, and how and when residents can expect Wilgeboom Avenue to be repaired and the groundwater problem solved.
No comment was received by the time of going to print.
Also read:
WATCH: A sinkhole is forming in Raasblaar Street, Sharonlea – ward councillor
