CHDM attempts to fix sewage

hile Gcobisa Sonkosi was burying her

13-year-old son in June this year after he was allegedly stabbed by another child, sewage continued to flow into her yard.

Sonkosi said this week that her three-year-old brags that they have “the ocean” in their backyard.

The Rep previously reported on sewage problems in Bede, Thulandivile and Bongweni (“People plead for sewerage upgrade”, January

26).

Sonkosi claimed at the time that she first arrived in Bede in 2006 with sewage overflows already a problem.

WHer son Liyema Sonkosi was stabbed to death, allegedly by an 11-year-old. At the time of her grief, she had to also deal with another sewage overflow. “We had to dig channels to allow the sewage to flow out of the yard. Prior to that, the sewage would flood our yard. I would like to ask the municipality to please fix this. We do not even report it any more because we have reported this for so long.”

Ward 17 councillor Mncedisi Mbengo said when he was appointed as councillor in 2016, the problem of sewage was already a troubling factor.

He was standing by the community in saying the sewage problem is out of hand.

“The sewage problem got worse when water and sanitation became the responsibility of the Chris Hani District Municipality [CHDM]. The area requires a new drainage system.”

He said population growth had resulted in the current drainage system being unable to handle the load.

He said there had also been a funeral for an elderly woman affected by the unhygienic conditions. Mbengo claimed the son of the elderly woman confirmed, after taking his mother to doctors, that her ill health was due to the area’s filthy conditions.

“On July 8 and 13, I witnessed CHDM making holes for a big pipe to pump sewage out to the Komani River, hence it is now more dry in that area, because they have found a new way to combat the sewage problem. CHDM claims the pipes are too small and need to be changed.”

He said CHDM should take responsibility for the problem as the tender with Water and Sanitation Services SA (WSSA) had ended.

He claimed the money saved as a result should be used to buy equipment like jetting machines instead of having to rent jetting equipment.

He said raw sewage being pumped into the Komani River would affect Silvertown residents and others living in the area and that he would be taking up the matter with CHDM.

CHDM communications manager Thobeka Mqamelo said in a bid to solve the persistent blockages and sewage leaks, their team had detected multiple pipeline blockages due to rocks in the system which could not be removed through pressure jetting.

“Pressure jetting was attempted on several occasions, but was not successful. This necessitated that trenches be dug in the specific areas where blockages were identified. Excavation had to be undertaken to assist in clearing the blockages between manholes.”

She said to alleviate the pressure on the system on the main sewer line that crosses under the Komani River, “a hole was broken into the side of a manhole (sic)”.

Mqamelo said if such measures had not been taken, a larger area would have been affected as manholes in yards and streets would have overflowed and affected more people.

Two contractors were on site working on different points from the affected areas and at the treatment works. The project should be completed within three weeks, she said.

She said blockages of pipelines were the district authority’s responsibility but blockages in yards were the responsibility of households.

“The municipality regrets the state of affairs as we are committed to delivering quality services to the community of CHDM. The municipality will increase its efforts to achieve this and we urge the community to assist by safeguarding infrastructure in their areas and discouraging the infiltration of degradable objects into the sewage system.”