Empangeni stink causes a stir
AN alarming health hazard that saw raw sewage flowing for over two weeks, has finally been resolved.
Concerned residents repeatedly reported a sewer overflowing in Hospital Road in Empangeni, the problem linked directly to the Queen Nandi Regional Hospital.
The leakage was running directly into a stream flowing through a residential area and the golf course and posed both a health and an environmental hazard.
According to reports, when the discharge began it was addressed by municipal plumbers but, because of the severity of the blockage, they had to wait for the approval by procurement of a ‘super sucker’, to clean the mess. This was only approved on Friday.
The need for a heavy duty sewerage vacuum truck was evident as the blockage had been caused by paper and hand towels, among other things, flowing into the sewage system.
Queen Nandi Regional Hospital CEO, Nqobile Mkhwanazi, told the Eyethu Bay Watch they had been made aware of the issue.
‘This is of great concern to us and we have put in place a quality improvement plan that will ensure close monitoring of the use of the toilet facilities and waste disposal.
‘We have also reinvigorated patient orientation as to the use of toilet facilities and proper disposal of sanitary and hand towels,’ said Mkhwanazi .