If it is not the actual pooh running in the streets, they are filled with the pungent smell of it in the air.
It is a sad reality that the local Emalahleni Municipality does not seem to be bothered by the stench that lingers in the air, especially when sun sets towards the early evening. The smell has been covering the whole of Uthingo Park, Tasbet Park 2 and 3 and it seems that the foul perfume in the air is something that residents ought to get used to for no attempts to try and have the municipality fix the problem have been fruitful.
On May 6, the municipality was contacted regarding the raw sewerage running at the Klipfontein Dam and their response was that they were unable to locate the user department and could therefore not be able to assist in any way until such a department has been located. It has been over a month since that message was conveyed to citizens but still the sewerage runs raw.
The stench that comes from the hills over the freeway and finds its way into the homes of the residents that are surrounding the Klipfontein Dam area is unbearable. It is a health risk to those who have to continuously breathe it in.
Fresh air is considered a public good, but how must residents enjoy the fresh breeze that should be going through their noses as oxygen if it smells like pooh? The municipality does not only have the case of Klipfontein Dam to deal with, they are also faced with other sewerage systems that are malfunctioning and instead of the problems being fixed; they seem to be getting worse by the week.
A resident in Reyno Ridge has allegedly lodged so many complaints with the municipality and they have reached a point where they feel that their problem will not be resolved. The resident, who did not wish to be named said that he has raw sewerage running through his home and that of his neighbour. “It stinks and we have children who cannot play in the back yard anymore because of this problem,” said the resident.
The Naauwpoort Plant is supposed to be a sewerage drainage system that clears the sewer pipes of excess sewerage; instead the plant itself has a leak which leads directly to the Witbank Dam. The raw sewerage is carried directly from the stream that runs from the new Duvha Park extensions all the way through to Steve’s Place at Barham Bay.
Lee Sampson, who resides near the area said that the condition of the drainage systems is bad and they as the residents sometimes have to drive through the raw sewerage as it flows all over the place. “We have even gone as far as digging a trench to allow the sewerage to flow to a different direction that will not connect it to the stream that leads to the dam, but still after some time the sewerage finds its way to the stream again,” said Sampson.
It has been months that the municipality has been receiving complaints of leaking sewerage and the bad conditions of the roads. In Kudu Street, Tasbet Park, the road is almost non-existent and the potholes there are huge and pose a danger to the children walking along there to get to school.
Diesel and Dust operates from that street as well as Mphakhathi Bus Services and both companies have said that they have lodged complaints with the municipality and nothing has been done. The learners in Greendale School are at a danger of being hit by cars that are trying to avoid the potholes, some even drive on the pavement area as the condition of the road is very bad.
The local municipality has been contacted and a response regarding this issue is still awaited. On one occasion they could not provide answers as they were unable to locate a user department within their institution to account for the leakage at Klipfontein Dam.
Video of the sewage at Klipfontein Dam.
* Can’t see the video? Click here
