And who’s to blame for this malfunction of the sewer system?

According to the Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Department, more than half of the 56 500 sewer blockage complaints they attended to in the past year were caused by rubble and foreign objects in the system.

A recent incident in Thokoza even prompted the said department to call on the assistance of the fire brigade to remove rocks that were lodged six meters deep in the sewer line.

Other items found included the corpse of a dog, vehicle tyres, shoes, clothing and general household waste.

According to Thokozani Maseko, Divisional Head for Water and Sanitation, the majority of blockages are caused by foreign objects that are disposed of into sewer manholes or flushed down toilets into the system on a daily basis.

These include clothing, cutlery, newspapers, sanitary towels, disposable nappies and tyres.

“This practice causes damage to municipal infrastructure and ends up posing a threat to human health,” said Maseko.

“When sewage overflows into the streets, residents, particularly children, become exposed to illnesses caused by waterborne diseases which may be present in sewage affluent.”

This financial year the municipality has budgeted R7.48m for maintenance to prevent sewer blockages.

A large portion of the money is spent on repairing damaged infrastructure and clearing these purposely caused blockages.

Let’s all do our bit

The good news is we can all play a role to reduce the number of preventable blockages so that funds can be utilized towards developing a more effective system.

It simply boils down to the proper disposal of waste.

Instead of throwing unwanted objects down the sewer, utilise the waste management services provided by the municipality to dispose of waste safely and correctly.

In addition to the weekly door-to-door refuse removal service provided, mini refuse sites and landfill sites are available for discarding other types of refuse and rubble.

For more details on the location and use of these facilities, contact your nearest Waste Management Services Depot, their number is printed on your annual colour-coded refuse removal schedule.

The list of disposal sites will also be made available on www.ekurhuleni.gov.za

To ensure that sewer system runs smoothly, citizens are also encouraged to report blocked and overflowing drains, missing manhole covers and any prohibited acts such as opening of manhole covers to dispose of rubbish.

Theft of manhole covers should also be reported to the police.

Complaints can be reported to the EMM’s Municipal Services Call Centre on 086 054 3000 or through Twitter @EMM_Call_Center or online at www.ekurhuleni.gov.za/report-it