Residents in Elardus Park call for the Tshwane metro to be effective and quickly respond to sewage leakages and spillages after enduring five days of raw spillages, flooding yards and gardens.
The blocked drains on Jochem Street on Sunday, August 11 had overflowed into residents’ yards in the Stone Village estate, neighbouring plot and Clear Water estate.
Residents reported it to Tshwane, which stated that they would respond within eight hours only for them to repair it after five days, leaving ratepayers angry and raising health concerns.
“It started on Sunday at the plot neighbouring our complex and the complex behind us. On Monday we found it at the house closest to the boundary of the plot. It was reported and response time indicated with reference number showed a reaction time of eight hours,” said resident Lynette Spies.
She said on Tuesday, August 12 she and the complex manager of the neighbouring complex reported it. Both received reference numbers again and the promise of an eight-hour reaction, but still no one came.
“We got worried because residents could not open windows for fresh air, and it was a health concern.”
Spies said on Wednesday after numerous complaints to the ward councillor, she escalated the matter and the metro team pitched up just before 20:00.
“There were also three other sewage leaks in this very same area. The sewage from Petrus Street ran straight into the stormwater [drain] which runs into the Rietvlei Dam, which was also a concern to us.”
Spies said despite the metro teams taking time to respond, she was grateful for the team that pitched.
“We escorted the truck workers to show them where the issues were. The workers were very helpful and came back on Friday morning to check and unblock another manhole.”
She pleaded with the metro to ensure a swift response to issues such as this concerning health.
The metro spokesperson Lindela Mashigo said the blockage was caused by foreign objects in the municipal sewer line.
“The workers managed to unblock the manholes and repair the sewer line.”
He said the city will do regular maintenance on the sewer lines to prevent frequent sewer spillages and/or blockages.
“The timelines to complete any sewer service request cannot be estimated since some sewer blockages can be cleared easily in a few hours, while some can be challenging and can take more than a day to resolve.”
Mashigo said upon receiving the service request, the city dispatched a team of plumbers to resolve the sewer blockage.
He warned residents not to dispose of foreign objects into the sewer system as it causes frequent spillages.
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