Stink rises as sewage leaks
PARKHURST – Parkhurst residents are generally the type of people who prefer to wake up to the aromas of freshly brewed coffee or tea but, sadly, for the Basch family from Fifth Avenue, this is not the case as they are forced breathe in the stench of faecal matter, day in and day out.
Daniel Basch has contacted Johannesburg Water to vent his frustration at the pungent smell in the air which stems from the storm water outlet next to his home on numerous occasions, only to be told that the entity can’t find any sewage leaks running into it.
Thus Basch decided to do his own investigation, and pictures and videos of his trek up the storm water drain leading from 20th Street on 17 November proved to be a rather stinky one, flowing with faeces and used women’s sanitary products.
“We managed to get all the way to Rosebank where the issue became so bad we decided to turn back,” said Basch.
“If another inspection team tells me that they could not find anything, I would strongly advise a trip to [their nearest] optometrist.
“The smell in the homes at the bottom of Parkhurst has started to affect working conditions, our health, our neighbours’ health and that of the people who use this section of the river for prayer and baptisms on the weekends.
“[This needs to be] fixed once and for all before all the new developments in Rosebank add to the load.”
Ward councillor for the area, Tim Truluck, responded to the issue and stated that he has been trying to deal with it for many years, without any proper engagement on the issue by both the Johannesburg Roads Agency – who are responsible for maintaining the storm water lines; and Johannesburg Water – who are in charge of sewerage maintenance.
“This is another case of crumbling infrastructure,” said Truluck. “Joburg Water is in charge of sewers, so it is their problem. They have admitted that they know about it, but that it will take decades for them to fix.”
Truluck further stated these entities have it on their list of things to do, but they are just unable to keep up with their related commitments as they are so underfunded and understaffed.
“The leaking sewers are a major problem all over the City,” Truluck added.
“[Sewage in] the Spruit is already over acceptable levels in Parkhurst and it only gets worse further downstream from more sewer leaks.”
Details: www.johannesburgwater.co.za
