Phoenix residents in foul smell pickle

PHOENIX residents have given senior managers at the Phoenix Waste Water Treatment Plant a week to respond to concerns about the foul odour emanating from the plant which settled over Woodview and Ottawa three months ago.

Issues were raised by up to 50 residents who attended a meeting with ethekwini Municipality officials at the Ottawa community hall in Ottawa on Thursday to discuss the sewer smell and how the municipality would resolve the issue.

According to ethekwini Municipality spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa, the smell was caused by sludge that occurred during upgrades to the plant which were being done to accommodate the nearby Cornubia residential development.

Residents, represented by Ottawa Environmental Forum facilitator Andisha Maharaj, said their rights had been violated and the municipality had been indifferent. Several residents described how they were imprisoned in their homes when the odour settled in the Phoenix basin.

The senior manager at the plant, Theresa Moonsamy, told residents that employees had worked around the clock to fix the matter. But her words could not reassure residents that the foul odour would be attended to immediately.