Harmelia family invaded by sewage after manhole leak
“It is so hard to prepare food, cook and have food together as a family with this smell hanging over us.”
A Harmelia family were left with a garden flooded by sewage and wastewater after a municipal manhole burst and turned their garden into a septic swamp.
According to Lenhoff Road resident Gillian Simpson, her household noticed a blockage on January 13.
After several visits by municipal employees, the manhole leak was stopped on January 20.
She said they needed a jet truck to blast the line.
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However, almost a day and a half after clearing the line, the leak restarted, and a river of waste flowed freely through Simpson’s Garden.
“It is so hard to prepare food, cook and have food together as a family with this smell hanging over us,” said Simpson.
“It smells like a pig farm.”
Simpson said on January 19, the situation at the property was so bad she and her partner, Paul Davies, considered moving out and leaving the property because of the constant stench.
According to Simpson, the municipal staff working in the community are excellent.
“The staff working on the ground are amazing, and it seems management is the problem,” said Simpson.
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According to her, a fundamental problem is the broken equipment.
Simpson said she learnt this by speaking to the municipal staff.
“When we asked the municipal employees for updates, they informed us that one truck was broken. Then they needed a TLB digger but couldn’t procure one.”
She said when a TLB digger arrived to excavate the manholes to clear the line in Shelton Avenue Park, the municipal staff raised concerns that the digger would get stuck in the park’s long grass.
Simpson said the situation has left her and her family beyond frustrated.
“This situation drove me up the wall, and my nerves were completely shot. I am so anxious. The sewage ran into our pool, flooded our pool pump, and my garden is trashed.”
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Simpson said although Davies tried to clear the pool with some chemicals, it would need draining.
“The question is, who pays for the aftermath? We pay our rates and taxes.”
Because of their blocked drains, Simpson said they must shower at friends’ or family’s houses.
She said her son, who rows for Jeppe High School for Boys, needs to shower after getting off the water from training.
“The poor child had to go to his volleyball sports grounds so that he could have a shower after racing.”
Simpson said because of the sewage flood, her basin does not drain correctly, and at times, wastewater shoots out of the drain, making washing dishes incredibly difficult.
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When the family does cook at home, they must sterilise everything and put it in airtight containers to prevent contamination.
Additionally, the family has incurred additional costs by purchasing pest control options.
“When the sewage does dry up, the flies become unbearable. We have to keep our doors and windows closed to prevent any from getting in.
“We have tried everything and are at our wits’ end. This interferes with our daily lives and quality of life,” said Simpson.
A request for comment was sent to the CoE on January 24, requesting comment by January 26 at 13:00.
At the time of going to print, we had received no comment.
