City to clean up Masiphumelele

Rubbish has piled up. Canals are overflowing with human waste and this is a danger

THE City has presented plans to the the provincial Department of Environment Affairs and Development Planning to deal with the issues of environmental degradation in Masiphumelele.

This after the department issued a second directive last month, in the space of six months, for the City to clean-up the hazardous Masiphumelele Wetland after the City was found to have failed to provide adequate ablution facilities, stormwater and solid waste management in the area.

The City did not appeal the first directive. After making representations to the department, the directive was set aside.

Community leader, Zubenathi Mbodla said although the City says it is cleaning up the area residents continued to experience health risks.

“Rubbish has piled up. The canals are overflowing with human waste and this is a danger to the children. We are hoping that the City will adhere to the recommendations of the directive and do the right thing,” said Mbodla.

The department’s spokesperson, Rudolph van Jaarsveldt, said the City indicated they would appeal the latest directive, after it responded with a progress report on July 28 – seven days after the directive was issued.

The directive was issued following complaints by a councillor, residents of Masiphumelele and neighbouring communities, said Van Jaarsveldt.

“The Green Scorpions of the department conducted the site inspection and investigation, and issued the directive,” he said.

Mayoral committee member for informal settlements, water and waste services, and energy, Xanthea Limberg said the City had already “implemented the directives that are possible to implement, and intensive work to improve environmental conditions, in collaboration with both provincial and national governments continues”.

Limberg said about R1 million was spent on maintaining Masiphumelele Wetland informal settlement since March.

The City also cleared some of the reeds and dug the stormwater channel deeper to allow the stormwater canals to drain into the wetland. Soil excavated from the channel was stockpiled on the edges in order to guide the water further into the wetland, and to prevent greywater and sewage spreading over the lower part of the wetland, where some people settled, she said.

Limberg said the City was undertaking a pilot project to divert stormwater from the canals into the sewerage system.