The incomplete geophysics and geohydrological tests by the City to determine the underground water plaguing the community of Constantia Kloof have resulted in further damages to the infrastructure and residents’ properties.
For more than a decade now residents in the vicinity of Oribi Street have been plagued by underground water rising to the surface, causing damage to their homes, and lately eroding the road infrastructure.
A portion of Oribi Street had to be barricaded off by residents when the integrity of the road needed no inspector to confirm its hazardous condition.
On Tuesday, 16 February, the disgruntled residents, who threatened to sue the City, met with Ward 89 councillor Amelia Bester to voice their concerns about this ongoing crisis after a minibus got stuck in the ‘soft muddy’ tar the previous day.
Amelia indicated that in the 2018/ 19 financial year capital was allocated to Phase 1 of a pilot project, an underground water study/ hydropodology test, and the study only confirmed that the problems were indeed caused by underground water. “Phase 2, which did not receive funding, was to establish the origins of the water,” she said.
Community leader and long-time resident Glenn Fowler, who expressed his frustration with this situation, provided a free history lesson about the origins of the mysterious underground river which he linked to the very first residents of Constantia Kloof of ancient days.
“This problem has been ongoing for the last 15-odd years. We’ve discussed it with the council and told them my views about an underground river that has been here for many years. Harry Struben built his original miner’s house at the top of the street in the 1800s and he could only get water from a borehole. The same applied to Christiaan de Wet whose home was built in the early 1900s,” Flowler explained.
With the lack of resources in those days, he alluded that the gold miner took advantage of the underground water source to have access to water, which has caused the present-day crisis due to modern-day developments.
The residents believe that the water problem was aggravated by the construction of a warehouse downhill which blocked the natural channels of the water, resulting in it to push back and find its way out through the surface.
Fowler added that this crisis is not limited to Oribi Street, but Duiker Street and Wilhelmina Avenue as well. He said the free running water has also attracted vagrants who use it to freshen up.
To alleviate the crisis, Amelia applied for trees to be planted in the Oribi Street park, hoping that they would absorb some of the water.
“The trees are doing well, but during the recent rains, Oribi Street took a hard knock. I am no expert but in my opinion, this road will have to be reconstructed. The tar has pushed up and cracked, making it unsafe for use,” she weighed in.
As a long-term solution, Amelia suggested public participation for capital expenditure, which is currently under way.
“I have asked the residents to apply for capital spending to (1) conduct the final phase of the underground water study; and (2) for the reconstruction and maintenance of Oribi Street, and this should be done in haste,” she appealed.
“Submissions must be sent to cbpinputs@joburg.org.za. Please copy me in all correspondence at Cllr.a.bester@gmail.com as we don’t want our requests to disappear into File 13,” she advised.
