River plan stinks
OUTRAGED Chatsworth temple-goers are among those gearing up to do battle with Durban’s eThekwini municipality over its proposal to dump millions of litres of sewage into the Umhlatuzana River.
At a meeting held at the Umhlatuzana community centre last week, 32 delegates representing various affected parties agreed to oppose any attempts by the municipality to divert raw sewage from its uMhlatuzana Waste Waterworks Treatment Centre into the river to allow it to do maintenance work on an inlet pump station.
The meeting had been convened by the Chatsworth and District Civic Federation to address ongoing concerns about the city’s final decision on the matter after an initial proposal by its water and sanitation unit to divert the sewage in November last year was stymied by community opposition.
At the time, it was found that proper consultative processes and risk assessments had not been followed.
“The municipality is being very evasive because every time we ask, they say they’ve postponed [the maintenance plan],” said civic federation spokesman Vin Naidoo. “But we’re very concerned because if there’s a breakdown at the plant, the sewage will be let out into the river. I think that’s what they’re waiting for.”
Umhlatuzana Hindu Temple Society spokesman Chandra Moodley, whose organisation was represented at the meeting, said the plan would adversely affect devotees at the riverside temple if allowed to go through.
“In terms of Hindu custom, a river is sacred. It’s an asset to the community and our temple prides itself on having a river. The temple has been here for over 70 years, but the river has been used from the 1860s for the rituals.
“Over the weekend, about 100 families come to the river. During the week, about 10 to 12 families come daily.
“People are scared — nobody wants to use a contaminated river. Our prayers are sacred. You cannot mix something sacred with raw sewage. It’s irreconcilable.”
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