Makana overwhelmed by ageing infrastructure
AMakana Municipality official has acknowledged that the recent spate of blockages and sewage line leaks in Grahamstown is due to build-up of grease, debris and foreign objects in the sewer system, which were exacerbated by the heavy rains in August.
Assistant Communication Officer at Makana, Anele Mjekula told Grocott’s Mail last week (1 September), that the sewer system at Rhodes University campus was also affected by tree root intrusion which is normally cleaned by a hydroblast machine. Information available to Grocott’s Mail indicates that Makana’s machine is broken and it has no money to repair or replace.
“The sewer line collapsed due to ageing,” Mjekula said, before adding that the municipality is in constant touch with Rhodes once blockages are reported.
Last week, sewerage was overflowing from an inspection manhole in Artillery Street inside the Rhodes campus and a staff member in a nearby building told Grocott’s Mail that municipal workers had had tried to unblock the inspection manhole two weeks previously but that the problem had recurred.
Municipal workers had also come to South Street to attend to two leakage problems in South Street inside the Rhodes campus.
In one instance, they fixed an old and unused water pipe in late June, just before the National Arts Festival, but did not do a proper job and it leaked again, forcing Rhodes administration to hire private plumbers (Grahamstown Homebuilders), to complete the job. Edwin Gcamana, a plumber with Grahamstown Homebuilders told Grocott’s Mail (29 August), that the municipal workers had by-passed the old clay pipe but it still filled up with water again. Gcamana said this was not the first time they had been called in by Rhodes University.
In a second incident in South Street,a bulk water pipe burst on 25 August, sending a gush of water into the air. Dave Martin, Manager of Rhodes’ Engineering and Transport Maintenance Department, told Grocott’s Mail that municipal workers responded timeously to stop the leakage. Grocott’s Mail has observed that the two work-sites are still uncovered, making driving and pedestrian traffic in the street cumbersome.
The university also had to send out its plumbers to fix another burst water pipe outside the printers and stationery unit on campus last week (31 August). Deputy director of Infrastructure and Operations at Rhodes, Dawie Van Dyk, told Grocott’s Mail that this pipe belonged to the municipality.
As with the bulk water pipes, certain streets on campus (such as South Street, Lucas Avenue and Prince Alfred) belong to the municipality and they have a responsibility to deal with them, according to municipal by-laws.
Water leakage and overflowing sewers are not restricted to Rhodes campus, either. In the upmarket suburb of Westhill for example, there are another two problem ares. At the Leicester and Bowles streets is a large hole filled with rainwater that could be a danger to pedestrians. A homeowner in Leicester Street told Grocott’s Mail last week (29 August) that he was worried because he has small children.
He recounted how municipal officials were called during night to attend to a burst water pipe a few months ago. “They only came the following day,” the man who did not want to be named, said. The workers came the next day, but only after being called again. The neighbours experienced a water outage for two to three weeks that it took the municipality to repair the leak, the parent added.
There was also been an over-flowing sewerage inspection hole in Warren Street which resident said had started on 22 August. It has since stopped over-flowing.
At Rhodes, Van Dyk said the university has regular meetings with Makana’s infrastructure Director Dali Mlenzana, but he acknowledged that the financial crisis was mainly to blame for their inability to respond promptly. “I understand that,” Van Dyk said.
Also at Rhodes, Dave Martin said that because the municipality was overwhelmed, they now only attend to major problems.