Sewage stink suffocates Treasure Beach residents

TREASURE Beach residents are calling for immediate action to be taken in order to sort out the issue of sewage overflowing from manholes in the area.

Residents of Pirie Road said that despite numerous pleas to eThekwini Municipality to assist them, nothing has been done to permanently address the issue which has been ongoing for the past four months.

A resident, Trevor Stoffels, said he and his family, which includes his two grandchildren, aged six and one, are being greatly affected.

The manhole is situated directly outside his property.

Also read: Endeavours to keep river clean, curb illegal dumping celebrated

“It is an absolute nightmare. We cannot leave our door or windows open because the smell is so bad. The sewage attracts flies and mosquitoes, and we cannot even enjoy a meal. We lose our appetites. We are also very concerned about airborne diseases and fear that our health, especially that of my grandchildren, will be affected.

“It is frustrating as people from the municipality come and look at it and say they are coming back, but never do. They opened the lid of the manhole to ease the pressure, but it has made the sewage flow freely. We are concerned that if we have heavy rains again, then the sewage will start to flow from the manholes into our yard, one of which is in front of our kitchen door. We are now fed up and need this to be sorted out,” he said.

Another resident, Neville Firmin, said that despite paying their rates, they are not receiving any service delivery in return.

“We are mainly affected by the smell when there is a strong wind, however, we are concerned for our neighbours who are directly affected. It is not fair that we have to live under such conditions. We are pensioners but still pay our rates, which are over R1 000 per month, without fail. It is disgusting that we are receiving such treatment. We are being failed,” he said.

Zoë Solomon, Ward 66 councillor, said the issue of surcharging sewage from manholes is a continuous problem across The Bluff area – and it also flows from the pipes into the ocean. Treasure Beach is one of seven suburbs of The Bluff.

Also read: WATCH: Merebank residents severely affected by sewage catastrophe

“One of the main concerns is the functioning of the pump stations. If the sewage is not being pumped from the pump station to waste waterworks for treatment, it comes back. This has been a problem for years, whereby residents are being forced to live with the sewage, which should be under the ground – it is now outside on the roads and in their yards. Currently, the sewage issue on Pirie Road is a major problem as it is running into the stormwater drain. This is raw sewage – the toilet paper is clearly visible.

“Furthermore, when the City does respond, they will bring jetters, but that does not resolve the issues we are having. What we need is for proper cameras to be used to go underground to see what the issues are, see where the blockages are and where illegal buildings have forced sewage into the wrong pipes and stormwater drains.

Solomon said the City has an operational budget to deal with such issues.

“We currently have an operational issue; this is not a capital expense. The City has money in different purses to fix different things. We just started a new financial year; in other words, we just filled up the purse for operations. So, instead of jetting and suctioning when there are sewage overflows, the City needs to replace the infrastructure – the old, cracked pipes need to be replaced. And they need to make sure our pump stations are operational at all times. These are the basic fundamentals for keeping our suburb safe and free of sewage,” she said.

The eThekwini Municipality did not comment at the time of publication.

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