Durban’s sewerage infrastructure needs fixing
Democratic Alliance (DA) KwaZulu-Natal provincial chair Dean McPherson on Wednesday conducted an oversight visit to areas in Durban where he discovered some sewage leaks.
At the Bluff, Mcpherson said they found one of the two pump stations which transports sewage from the area to the Amanzimtoti waterworks were not working and was leaking. “The sewage is ending up in people’s yards, it’s backfilling into their homes and this wonderful river that should be flowing into the sea. It is a constant health hazard in this community,” McPherson said, adding it was his understanding the municipality did not have funds to fix the leaking pump,” he said.
“eThekwini municipality spends money on parties and fruitless events, but claims they have no funds to procure and maintain sewage infrastructure.”
McPherson also visited a community that lives next to an open and leaking manhole in Clermont.
One of the elderly residents said the manhole has caused great discomfort for her, especially the stench that emanates from it. “I don’t have a flushing toilet. I go to the bushes when I need to do something.
“This open sewage has made me sick and I can’t carry on any longer,” she said.
Following the April floods in KwaZulu-Natal, much of eThekwini’s water infrastructure was damaged, leading to massive sewage leaks across the city.
The leaks have resulted in many of the beaches in Durban being closed due to high levels of E. coli in the water.
In reports presented to the eThekwini executive committee, it is estimated that to fix and replace the city’s water infrastructure would cost close to R100 billion – almost twice the municipality’s entire budget.
The KwaZulu-Natal Legislature was yesterday expected to debate a motion brought forward by the DA on “eThekwini sewage and water provision crisis”.