FOR five long years Club Hacienda in Shelly Beach has desperately tried to get the stormwater drainage problem in Marine Drive fixed.
But despite many, many phone calls, emails and a few visits from the relevant departments nothing has been done to solve the pressing matter.
It’s a serious situation as millions of litres of water are seeping through the pavement into Club Hacienda’s property and flooding its driveway.
The Herald recently met Councillor Paul Brauteseth and Johan Brink, the maintenance manager of Club Hacienda, and it was explained that ever since Ugu District Municipality replaced the burst pipes at the front gate entrance of the property they have endured massive leakage issues, as the water cannot drain away leaving their driveway and large sections of the resort under water.
“Due to the poor drainage system, all the stormwater runs off the top of the road seemingly ending up in the ditch in the front of our resort. In some cases the flood of water makes it virtually impossible for guests to get to their units,” said Mr Brink.
There is so much surplus water that even the soak pit behind the main office is often full to capacity.
This has left the area damp and forced the resort not to use the outside guest toilet. Mr Brink said that when they had the pit drained recently, about 600 litres of water was extracted.
At the bottom of the garden, adjacent to Marine Drive, the children’s play area is a marshland, and when it rains the entire area is flooded. Water now lies under the large trampoline making it out of bounds for children. “The area is a breeding ground for mosquitoes and frogs and we are extremely concerned our front wall will collapse as it is constantly wet. This is also a health risk as the water is stagnant and smelly.”
“There have been accidents in front of Club Hacienda – one vehicle aquaplaned and landed on its roof in the ditch, adjacent to the pavement, which at the time was flooded. Two pedestrians have also fallen and slipped into the ditch,” he said.
Mr Brink is also concerned about the large Eskom cable lying exposed in the middle of the roadside ditch.
He reiterated that they are desperate for the relevant departments to help them tackle this nightmare of a problem. However, despite emails to Ugu the Herald has received no response regarding the matter.
Due to this water/drainage problem, the resort’s verge is a terrible mess and Mr Brink feels it paints a poor picture for those driving into Shelly Beach.
Councillor Brauteseth agreed. He added that there was also no pavement for pedestrians.
He said that he had also sent emails to the relevant authorities, but in vain.
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