Residents in Bryanston remain frustrated over the apparent lack of intervention by the municipality over an ongoing sewage spill into the Braamfontein Spruit.
A section of the spruit, near the Bryanston Drive bridge, has continuously been polluted by sewage, allegedly by ongoing construction in the area.
According to concerned resident Alex Babich, to his knowledge, this has been going on for months and it has been reported to the City on several occasions.
“This [Braamfontein Spruit] is not a river, it is a raw sewage dump and I cannot believe that no one has done anything about it. It is polluting the environment, right in our backyards.”
Biach alleged that the spill was being caused by the constant construction going on in the area, developers cutting corners and the river being the unfortunate collateral damage during construction.
Long-time resident Shelley Addis added that she too had reported the spill to the municipality on several occasions but allegedly nothing had been done since.
Ward 103 councillor Lynda Shackleford added that when the spill was cleaned up by Johannesburg Water earlier this year, teams reportedly cleared out rubble from the sewerage system.
“This is where the concern about the construction comes from. Rubble is not usually found in sewerage [sytems] and the more rubble there is the more blockages will occur.”
In a response, Johannesburg Water spokesperson Puleng Mopeli said that during a recent clearout of the sewerage system, teams identified that the blockage was being caused by an illegal connection from a nearby complex where renovations were taking place.
“The blockage is unblocked weekly using the jet machine. The blockage was unblocked again on Wednesday [November 30].”
Mopeli added that their teams were currently engaging with the developers and would provide an update.
Babich remained concerned about the rate at which developments were being approved while the community continued to struggle with the current dilapidating infrastructure.
“How do they expect us to cope? This sewage spill is just one of the consequences,” he said.
Related article:
https://www.citizen.co.za/sandton-chronicle/323512/reinstatements-continue-to-plague-bryanston/
