Steps have been taken by City entities to deal with the sinkholes in Paterson Park. An article by the Rosebank Killarney Gazette titled Excitement dies away as disrepair continues [ Week ending 19 February], highlighted some of the issues, including sinkholes, plaguing the northern side of the park.
Boniface Mvula of Ndodana Consulting Engineers shared that their company was appointed by the Johannesburg Development Agency (JDA) and the Johannesburg Roads Agency (JRA) to investigate and repair the sinkholes inside Paterson Park. “These sinkholes are a result of the degrading and collapsing of an existing and old underground stormwater culvert drainage system that passes through the park.
“On 29 and 31 March we installed a CCTV camera inside this culvert to investigate the extent of detonation and damage inside this culvert. This will inform us of the repair methodology required for the damaged portions of the culvert. We already concluded the land surveying of the culvert,” Mvula said.
He added that the final designs and repair methodologies are anticipated to be finalised by the end of April and will be submitted to both JRA and JDA for approval.
“If all goes well, we anticipate the contractor to be on-site around June or July this year. Our strategy is to conduct the repair works in winter or spring while we don’t have heavy rains that could impact and affect repairs,” Mvula said.
Chairman of the Orange Grove Residents Association (OGRA), Roger Chadwick said it was premature to make substantial comments as the investigation could take several weeks.
He added that for many years OGRA has been trying to draw attention to the deteriorating storm water issues in Ward 73 and Ward 74. The recent action by a law firm acting on behalf of two residents in Orange Grove and the subsequent high court order in favour of the residents has prompted and motivated the present response.
“The CCTV investigation is part of the first phase and the results of this CCTV report will inform the project team on the next step they need to take. In all probability, this will take the form of a document that recommends how the repairs are going to be done and the required budget. It is estimated that this will be a three-year process as the required budget is considerable and the remediation complicated.
“What I am very pleased with is that both project teams are working closely with councillor Huggett and our resident’s associations, OGRA and the Victoria, Orange Grove West Residents Association (VOGWRA). This cooperative environment with municipal-owned enterprises and civil society is a breath of fresh air that should become the norm.”
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