What’s that smell in Wheatlands?
As sewage builds up in Wheatlands, residents are fuming saying their health and lives are at risk.
Residents are rather disturbed by the amount of sewage in front of their plots in Wheatlands.
The Randfontein Herald received a complaint from resident Hennie Benson regarding a dam overflowing with sewage.
According to Benson, the sewage most likely derives from the Dan Tloome Mega Project. He emphasised the sewage water does not get pumped, resulting in blockages and eventually causing the sewage to flow into the stormwater pipeline and into a dam close by where residents normally fish.
He claims the sewage is also flowing through the pipeline into a hole that was dug by the municipality.
“Not only is the groundwater being polluted, but the residents on the plots will not be able to use the borehole water. It is also affecting the plant life along with the many fish species in the dam, not to mention the whole area smells terrible,” Benson said.
Benson also stated that various attempts had been made to contact the Rand West City Local Municipality (RWCLM) about the matter. He added that a councillor was also given notice about the urgency of the situation. Further, Benson has tested the speed at which the sewage is flowing.
His findings were:
• 29 500lt per hour
• 708 000lt per day
• 5 956 000lt per week
• 21 240 000lt per month
Another resident Jan Pretorius also expressed his extreme dissatisfaction.
“You can smell it from a mile. It is not at all pleasant to live in such conditions. We live off borehole water so at the end of the day, we won’t even be able to use our water anymore,” Pretorius stated.
He is concerned about the dam close by, stating that many fishermen will not be able to catch fish anymore due to the sewage. He is worried about the property value and claims that the sewage automatically decreases its worth.
The Herald has since contacted the municipality for comment where municipal spokesperson Phillip Montshiwa stated that when there are blockages at Dan Tloome, they attempt to resolve it as fast as possible.
“The Water and Sanitation Department has requested a team to deal with the blockages,” Montshiwa concluded.
