Residents angry over sewage pong
Alarm over open sinkhole hazard in Berea
THE persistent odour of sewage wafting through parts of Phoenix is infuriating residents, who accuse the ethekwini Municipality of poor town planning.
Aggrieved residents claim the city has allowed private developers to go ahead with projects without considering the capacity of existing infrastructure.
The residential flats being developed in Grove End Drive, near the Sterngrove Sports Field, is one such project under scrutiny.
At a recent community meeting, residents claimed that the project had not received the required approval before construction began last year and it was contributing to the collapse of the local sewer system and other infrastructure.
Residents said they had not been consulted about the development.
Their main concern was that housing developments increased the local population but the infrastructure in the area, including sanitation, had not been upgraded.
They said the development should have been halted until the local sewer system had been modified.
They claimed municipality had that the approved the development plans, which resulted in the driveways of some residents being blocked.
It is believed that the municipality sold the land to private developers years ago, but when the development eventually started, all of the required processes had allegedly not been followed.
An official at the city’s town planning department, who asked not to be named, said the land had not been subdivided into residential plots and was still regarded as municipal land.
“According to our records, the land belongs to the municipality, but it might be the case that the city had an agreement with a private developer who would transfer land ownership to the buyers of completed home units.
“The municipality could have used this method to transfer ownership as a cost-saving method,” said the official.
Residents said they were fed up that their series of meetings with the city had done nothing to eradicate the smell of sewage.
Grove End resident Eugene Peter said his neighbourhood was severely affected by the development.
“The entrance to our home has been blocked and the stormwater flows into our yard because there is no proper drainage system at the new development,” he said.
Community activist Quinton Kuppen said: “The development in our area has caused the sewer problem we are currently experiencing.
“The municipality did not make any provision to expand the capacity of the sewer, but they have been allowing private developers to do as they please in our neighbourhood,” Kuppen said.
“The city should have foreseen the need for expansion, because the number of residents living in the area has nearly doubled in the past 10 years, but nothing has been done to improve the infrastructure. The worst part of it is we are not getting proper responses to our queries about this development.”
City spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa had not responded by the time of going to press to questions sent by City Watch. MOTORISTS and residents on the Berea have raised concerns about delays in fixing the hazardous sinkhole at the intersection of St Thomas and Currie roads.
Drivers said the area was difficult to negotiate.
There are no warning signs to alert them about the looming danger and have called for a speed reduction on the affected roads.
According to a resident who lives nearby, the sinkhole was formed after a water pipe burst near the intersection.
Allan Jones said he had made calls to the ethekwini Municipality to have warning signs erected and speed restrictions put in place.
He had also requested that the sinkhole repairs be fasttracked as its condition had worsened.
“I have been informed that a tender for repair work is in place, but this process must be speeded up,” he said.
Motorist Johan Smith, who uses the road frequently, complained about the traffic during peak hours and suggested that the sinkhole be repaired before serious accidents occurred there.
“The hole is deep and in a position that makes it hard to avoid,” he said.
“Police should be controlling traffic during the busy hours.
“The danger tape around the affected area cannot be seen clearly, especially night,” Smith said.
DA ward councillor Christopher Pappas said the sinkhole was the result of problems with water infrastructure in the area.
He promised to update residents on when the road hazard would be fixed.
ethekwini Municipality head of communication Tozi Mthethwa had not responded to queries about when the roadwork would start. at