Blocked drains cause damage to property

A BLOCKED drain in Devonshire Avenue has caused the boundary wall around Joyce Morton's business property to crack raising concerns that it could collapse completely.

According to Morton, she contacted her insurance company to assess the wall, which had started to crack badly. She was informed that the rubbish and litter washing into the drains had caused a major blockage and was responsible for forcing the wall to lift and crack.

“My insurance company said the problem was underground. I am not surprised, as there is so much litter from take-away boxes and packets which are thrown on the road and which wash into the drains. I believe Davenport Square need to do something to educate people not to throw the litter on the roads once they buy from the shops at the centre,” she said.

Siva Naicker from the eThekwini Municipality said the Roads and Stormwater unit was responsible for maintaining the inlets and piping network at various levels of response, including response to complaints, cyclic cleaning and maintenance to identify blockages and defects. “The greatest challenge to the system stems from abuse. It was never designed to act as a waste disposal unit. Some of the abuses that have been observed include debris on the street being swept into the inlets, informal or formal economy utilising the inlets as a waste receptacle, the transport sector using inlets for waste oil or filters and vagrants using inlets for storage, defecation and shelter. The solutions are multiple with the single most effective being changing the attitude of those who abuse the system,” he said.

In response, ward councillor Nicole Graham has made contact with Davenport Square regarding the problems in Devonshire Avenue and raised the possibility of the centre doing something to sweep the street daily.

“It is used by people who eat their take-away food there and is always left filthy. The drains are now blocked with take-away containers and rubbish. Because it is such a small street, it is only swept weekly. I do realise that the street is not the centre's responsibility, but the impact of the centre on the street is significant,” she said.

Davenport Square centre management admitted that it was aware of the littre progjem which affected Devonshire Road, which borders the centre’s property.

It said it had made multiple requests to council to have more bins installed on the roads surrounding the centre, and had raised the issue with DSW, the independent contractors to the city council responsible for the roads in question.

In addition to this, Davenport Square is working on a CSI initiative, Davenport Clean Up, aimed at assisting and uplifting the community. The initiative is currently in the early planning stages and more information will be shared with the public closer to the launch.

“Davenport Square is hoping to work together with DSW, the independent contractors and our local community in resolving this issue,” said centre management.