FOLLOWING a litany of concerns raised by the Bluff Ratepayers Association (BRA) regarding the flow of debris into the harbour via unkempt canals, the municipality has stepped in to review the situation.
The South Durban Basin (SDB) Area Based Management (ABM) met with BRA chairman, Ivor Aylward to discuss the possibility of clearing litter and debris in the canal that runs under Flower Road and Solomon Mahlangu Drive.
Aylward’s concerns included the removal of panels meant to force water through a weir and the lack of action against businesses and informal settlements ignoring ‘no dumping’ signs. “The litter and human waste flows straight past the weir and into the ocean, causing damage to sensitive ecosystems,” he said.
“Catchment has always drained to that position, so there is no change in where the debris is going. We are improving the capacity of the piped system, particularly under the railway lines where we have had a severely undersized system for years, which, by its design, is also prone to blockage. When operational, it takes debris from the Bluff Road catchment to the weir. The new system will do the same. and so will be no change. The weir was intentionally placed downstream of this catchment so that it would catch the debris from that area,” said the eThekwini Municipality Engineering Unit’s stormwater design manager, Greg Williams.
Aylward is skeptical that the problem will be resolved. “We have been working on this for years. I hope they will finally take action and stop this sludge flowing downstream,” said Aylward.
SDB ABM operations and enforcement co-ordinator, Dumisani Msomi said: “Something needs to be done about this. The SDB ABM is committed to ensuring the relevant line departments are contacted and a meeting will be held to discuss a way forward.”
