Metro addresses overflow of raw sewage into lakes
A blocked sewer line in Western Ext resulted in the clogging up of a manhole, causing waste to back-up and overflow while a broken pump station resulted into the pumping of raw sewerage into Civic Lake, near Lakeside Mall.
The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) has said the overflow of raw sewerage into Middle and Civic lakes is the result of a sewer line blockage and pump station failure.
The municipality stated the blockage of a sewer line near the Deneys Conradie Residentia and Griffiths Court, in Western Ext, resulted in the clogging up of a manhole, causing waste to back up and overflow.
The fountain of raw sewerage, which had been overflowing for months, formed a stream that flowed directly into Middle Lake via Chris Rencken Park.
This caused residents who use the trail to walk to either Western Extension or Lakefield to use stepping stones to cross the small stream, laden with heaps of garbage and human faeces.
On Civic Lake, a flock of birds were spotted feeding on the reeds next to sewerage water gushing out of a blocked manhole.
The city said damage to the main pump station near the lake resulted in the pumping of untreated sewer water into the lake.
CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the sewerage department cleared the incidents in Western Extension, while the city’s specialised services team is currently repairing the main pump station near Civic Lake.
He added while they attend to all blockage problems, they prioritise incidents that pose a danger to the fauna and flora in the areas around water bodies and those that are hazardous to the health of people who use these facilities for recreational purposes.
“The city also prioritises all incidents which are more critical, to minimise pollution to water bodies,” he said.
“We attend to all sewer incidents reported within the timeframe prescribed by our Service Level Agreement (SLA). However, some complaints are attended out of SLA due to technical challenges, like broken lines or backlogs.”
Dlamini explained the municipality had strict measures in place to take care of anything that poses harm to the environment.
“The city has put mitigation measures in place to minimise pollution on the water bodies and do continuous monitoring of the streams for sewer spillages by our sewer team every week.
“The water quality team takes scientific water quality samples to be tested, along the city’s water bodies,” said Dlamini.
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