Metro takes action on sewage spill into Homestead

The Ekurhuleni metro said they are aware of the sewer blockage to the east of Atlas Road, next to the N12 freeway, that is causing sewage water to run into Homestead Dam.

Ward councillors Malanie Haggard, Simon Lapping and André du Plessis have been up in arms about the issue that has been ongoing for years.

The councillors also formulated an online petition that reads: “We, the residents of Alphen Park, Farrarmere and surrounding Ekurhuleni suburbs, hereby petition the MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy, councillor Tiisetso Nketle, and the MMC for Infrastructure, Masele Madihlaba, to urgently address and resolve the failing sewerage infrastructure causing continual sewage spills into the wetlands which feed the Benoni lakes and dams.”

In response to their concerns, the City’s divisional head of communications, Nhlanhla Cebekhulu, said the matter was reported to the water and sanitation department.

He said the department has already cleared the sewer blockage and cleaned the pipeline.
“The Water and Sanitation Department is responsible for the repair and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure within the City of Ekurhuleni. The Environmental Resources and Waste Management Department is responsible for wetlands management.

“We shall closely monitor the area to ensure that we attend to any blockages that may occur immediately.”

Du Plessis, Ward 23 councillor and DA shadow MMC for Environmental Development in Ekurhuleni, previously said the sewage pollution is in contravention of the National Environmental Management Act, the National Water Act, and threatens the biodiversity of the environmentally sensitive ecosystem.

He highlighted the City of Ekurhuleni only treats the symptoms and not the cause of the problem. They unclog the manhole and then it just gets blocked again.

“After the sewage has gone towards the dam, the water flows into the Blesbokspruit, which eventually ends up in the Vaal catchment area, where we get our drinking water.”

Steven Lea, an experienced water scientist and biologist, conducted a water analysis at his company’s laboratory to see if it was raw sewage or industrial waste entering Homestead Dam.

“The result proved it was domestic waste (sewage) that is entering the dam. The Homestead Dam is unsafe for anybody to use as it could cause diseases. It needs urgent attention from the municipality,” Lea, from Benoni, previously told the Advertiser.

Also Read: Still no progress in fixing damaged Atlasville sewer says ward councillors

Also Read: Address the root of the Boksburg lake’s problems