Sewage crisis: watch sewage seeps into stormwater drain in Boksburg

Barely two weeks after being forced to put up with a week-long sewage spill, residents of Lilianton are again forced to endure the overwhelming stench of raw sewage spilling from a crumbling drain in Solomon Road.

The Advertiser visited the area on October 12 and found that volumes of untreated waste, including human waste, toilet paper and wet wipes was seeping from a crumbling manhole onto the road, before flowing into the stormwater drain to head down into culvert networks.
The volumes of waste standing on the road have also created a massive pothole and judging from the amount of waste, it appears the sewage has been spilling for some time now.

Residents of the area recently complained that due to the lack of routine maintenance of the sewer system in the area, they are often exposed to a massive sewage spill, which resulted in sewage backups and some properties being flooded with untreated raw sewage.
About two weeks ago, residents of the area were plagued by raw sewage for weeks from a broken drain corner of Solomon Road and Biddulph Street.

In a recent exclusive interview with the Advertiser, a senior City official said part of the reasons drains are being blocked is the disposal of foreign objects into the system, saying making small changes in residents’ flushing behaviour may reduce the number of sewer blockages, the risk of flooding to property and the risk of pollution in the environment.

The Department of Water and Sanitation water operations divisional head, Thokozani Maseko, said his department is working tirelessly to ensure wastewater is properly controlled and spillages are urgently attended to in order to minimise the harm they do to the environment.

Also Read: Blocked drains in Boksburg a cause for concern

Ward 33 councillor Ashley Hoods agreed that to certain extent disposal of foreign objects and the items people flush down the drain are contributory factors to the problem.
He, however, also pointed out that in many areas within his ward, the frequent recurrence of untreated contaminated wastewater seeping from broken drains and manholes shows that the ageing infrastructure needs a radical overhaul.

“The frequent incidents of wastewater seeping from broken drains and reaching our waterways points to lack of maintenance.
“With regard to the Solomon Road spill, the volumes of raw sewage on the road and damages caused to the road may be seen as a clear indication that the relevant department is struggling to respond to complaints within the stipulated turnaround time.

“I will escalate the spill in Lilianton to the relevant department, and I urge residents to continue reporting these problems to the municipality and contact me if they are not having any joy getting any service delivery-related issues addressed,” said Hoods.

Also Read: Scribante senior citizens remain in limbo regarding sewage mess