Sewage continues to flow into Nigel Dam

The DA in Ekurhuleni has accused the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) of doing nothing to remedy the persistent sewage overflow into the Nigel Dam.

According to Ward 88 councillor Wollaston Labuschagne, the Nigel Dam has been plagued by sewage pollution for over a year now, resulting in the degradation and contamination of the dam.

“As the DA, we have reported the challenges of sewer spillages on numerous occasions, and despite countless efforts of reporting, the CoE has failed to address this issue,” he said.

“Despite our numerous attempts to contact the water and sanitation department to rectify the sewage leaks and large-scale blockages, no action has been taken.

“The Nigel Dam and its public facilities have been used by residents, fishermen and boat owners for many years.

“However, this might not be possible in the future if the MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy, Tiisetso Nketle, does not urgently address the sewer network challenges.”

Labuschagne believes in the absence of a timely and effective response, the Nigel Dam will be irreparably damaged, further ensuing the deterioration of ecology and biodiversity.

“Additionally, there will be a hyacinth infestation to deal with, like so many other dams in Ekurhuleni,” he said.

“Nigel residents should not be expected to live in such unsanitary conditions, as they pose enormous health and safety threats.”

Quinten Joubert, a resident of the town who often makes use of the dam for fishing, said: “The entire fishing community in Nigel that makes use of the dam is very unhappy with what is happening. The dam has a rotten smell and there are dead fish floating in the dam as a result of the sewage.

“It is very sad because a lot of people make use of the dam for leisure, and it’s unpleasant to do so at the moment because of the sewage.”

The Damduiker Fishing Club also expressed their concern over the state of the dam.

“We as the Damduikers are completely against the pollution in the dam,” said Dominic Magalhaes of the club.

“This includes illegal netting, littering or any other harmful substances that affect the fish.

“We implore members of the community and the surrounding areas to keep the Nigel Dam clean and safe.”

CoE told HERAUT the sewage leaks are caused by sewer blockages caused by foreign objects disposed into the sewer pipes, particularly stones, fat or grease and sand.

CoE spokesperson Zweli Dlamini confirmed the latest sewage overflow problem has been resolved.

“The blockage was first attended by our sewer team using sewer rods to open the blockage,” he explained.

“However, because of the foreign objects inside the pipe, the blockage could not be opened satisfactorily.

“A high pressure jetting unit was then brought in to open the blockage and sweep the pipeline.”

Dlamini stated the environmental damage caused by the sewage leak was minimal, due to the sewage ponding on the gravel road before entering the dam.

“We will monitor on a weekly basis if there is a blockage,” he assured.

“However, we also rely on the community to report timeously if there is any kind of a problem.

“Avoid throwing foreign objects or liquids into the sewer system as they only make our job more difficult.
“Foreign objects, such as stones, rocks, grease and oil, don’t belong in the sewer system.

“Report anyone damaging/vandalising of our infrastructure and reports any sewer blockages as soon as possible so they can be attended to quicker.”