When he discovered the leak he followed the trail to its origin.
“I was shocked to see the sewage is flowing directly into the Blesbokspruit,” says Stevens.
The leak is believed to come from underground sewerage pipes.
“The stench is unbearable,” he says.
What concerns him the most is the residents who live close by.
“These people have to live with the bad odour as well as the sewage water right at their doorstep,” he says.
Read:Â Blesbok could be polluted
Committee member of the Springs/Nigel branch of Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) Ron Burrows recently visited the site and was shocked to see the severity of the sewage spill.
He agrees with Stevens that the spill has its origin from an underground sewerage pipeline.
Burrows says they will report the incident to Rand Water authorities as well as to Erwat, to try and find a solution to the problem.
The fact that the sewage flows directly into the Blesbokspruit alerted the Wessa members to the seriousness of the problem.
Read:Â Metro confirms pollution in Blesbokspruit
“We have no idea how long this has been leaking but have to find a solution soon,” he says.
The spruit is the only Ramsar site in Gauteng and leaking sewage can cause major damage to the life of fish and birds.
Metro spokesman Themba Gadebe says their officials are “still busy working on the problem”.
However, environmentalist Stan Madden says they cannot linger on the problem and it should be resolved soon otherwise it will have devastating consequences.
