Ratepayers load garbage into cars
THE turnaround time to resolve service delivery and infrastructure issues in Verulam was too long, said Vish Roopnarain, chairperson of the Verulam Civic Association.
“There have been a number of burst water pipes that could have been repaired promptly but the residents have had to wait for the employees from the department to come out. The Redcliffe area is affected most and residents are sometimes left without water for 48 hours.”
He said the water leaks also damaged the roads and this resulted in potholes.
Roopnarain said other problems included blocked stormwater drains caused by heavy rains.
“In addition to this, the stormwater drains are blocked by grass that has been trimmed by workers from the municipality. They don’t pick up the trimmings. During a heavy downpour, the same grass flows into the sewers and stormwater drains and clogs them. Then the roads are flooded.”
He said the refuse was not collected from the road on which he lived.
“There are two entrances to the road and towards the middle, where I live, the road is narrow. Previously, the bin trucks collected all the refuse, but recently they only pick up the bin bags from the entrances. As a result, my neighbours and I have to load our garbage into our cars and take it to the end of the road so it can be taken away. This is unacceptable as we pay for these services but we’re not getting it.”
He said the civic association wrote to the municipality and informed the heads of department and ward councillors about the ongoing issues.