Due to sewage problems in Bonaero Park, ward councillors, committee members and the Express have been inundated with complaints.
The complaints stem from sewage overflow in the Bonaero Park wetlands that once was a thriving seasonal breeding spot for flamingos.
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One such complaint forwarded to Ald André du Plessis read: “Once again, I couldn’t sleep last night due to the stench that was in the air for nearly the entire night. Apparently, these odours are a result of raw sewage leaking into the wetland. I live a mere block or two from this.
“During this month alone, the stench was in the air at least every second night, sometimes two nights in a row. Closing my windows is futile. The smell forces itself into my home via ventilators, keyholes and probably the roof too,” the complainant stated.
In a letter to the MMC for Water, Sanitation and Energy, Tiisetso Nketle, du Plessis explained the sewage problems have been a lingering issue for at least a decade.
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Du Plessis’ letter to the MMC stated:
• The existing sewer line, which was installed years ago within the perimeter of this crucial wetland, has become severely perforated due to old age. This resulted in raw sewerage seeping out of these old pipes into the wetland. During the winter months the natural water level of the wetland subsides, which is what is happening now (2020), that causes the continual sewer stench to the entire surrounding area.
• This has also resulted in the disappearance of many fauna species from this wetland due to the sewer pollution. This wetland used to be a major attraction with hundreds of flamingos frequenting this wetland as a seasonal breeding ground which is no longer a natural occurrence. They have all disappeared.
• In the summer rain season when the water table rises, this perforated sewer pipe is then infiltrated by rain water, adding extra capacity to the sewer pump station within close proximity to this wetland which adds sewer spillages to the equation.
• There have been new townhouse developments in and around these areas, however, there have been absolutely no upgrades to the water pipe infrastructure to cope with increasing demands.
“These are merely some of the issues linked to the entire problem contributing to the lingering smells,” said du Plessis.
“The water emanating from the Bonaero Park wetlands is part of an entire river structure that flows all the way through Pomona that eventually leads to Rietfontein Nature Reserve.”
The Express sent a detailed inquiry about the sewage overflow.
Comment was requested from the CoE on July 9.
Deadline for commented was extended to July 23 and again to July 24.
At the time of going to print, no comment had been received.
