Umdoni pump station still unfixable
The sewage overflow near Kingsway High School has been happening since April, and no substantial progress has been made in fixing it.
Recent attempts to recommission the Umdoni Road pump station, and the unblocking of lines that cause sewage overflow outside Kingsway High School, have not been successful as it has been discovered that there is more damage to the pump than was originally anticipated.
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Ward 97 councillor André Beetge said that despite many promises from the sanitation department to find a lasting solution to the pump station, the situation remains unchanged. The sewage overflow at the site started in April during the floods.
“We really don’t know what or whom to believe anymore. The problem is that on the municipality’s side there doesn’t seem to be any concerted effort to resolve these matters, albeit that we believe it possible, even with budget and component challenges,” said Beetge.
He made an example with the Winklespruit pump station where a flow meter was stolen. “Instead of bypassing the meter and relying on an estimated flow temporarily, for some reason, this is just not being done,” he said.
On Tuesday, August 23, eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda confirmed that the City requested R3.5b assistance from the National Treasury, but only R186m was approved. None of this money, according to Beetge, has made it into the City’s coffers.
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