Sewerage pipe bursts a health hazard for Kempton Park residents

Recently, heavy rainfall has caused several severe sewerage pipe bursts in areas of Kempton Park.

In the February 29 edition of the Kempton Express, Birch Acres resident Philos Mokhare spoke about living with almost constant sewage flowing through her property.

“I feel like I live inside a sewer,” she said when she met with the Kempton Express.

Last week, resident Moses Mogale also shared his battle with several sewerage leaks. He said the sewerage bursts always occur after heavy rainfall.

ALSO READ: Bonaero Park residents flooded with sewage once again

“It’s not the first time we experience a sewerage burst,” said Mogale.

“The sewerage is flowing inside my yard and along the whole of Hugget Street,” he added.

For Mogale, the most recent spill occurred on February 21 and he reported it the same day.

“I logged a call with the CoE, was given a reference number, and was told the turnaround time is 48 hours.

“The spillage affected us badly. We could not even open the windows for fresh air.

“I have a six-year-old boy who likes to play outside, and he felt like he was living in a prison. The smell was terrible, and I had to wear a mask,” said Mogale.

Mogale said he also has two daughters who asked him when the problem would stop.

“I don’t have answers for them.”

He said he does not believe the residents have a municipality.

ALSO READ: CoE responds to sewage concerns by a resident

“The employees just bask in the sun and eat fat cakes while the service delivery worsens daily.

“I need the municipality to come and clean my yard. My once-beautiful garden now looks like a pigsty.”

Ekurhuleni spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said the city was aware of the various sewerage line bursts happening after heavy rainfalls.

“Indeed, this is a sad reality we are aware of.”

Dlamini said that, in most instances, the system is overloaded because it was not designed for heavy rain.

“The issue of rain pushing foreign objects into the system results in blockages and, ultimately, flooding. We are forever attending to sewer blockages.

“Sewer maintenance is part of our daily work. However, you can never predict when heavy rains will fall and which areas will be affected,” said Dlamini.

Dlamini said maintaining the city’s infrastructure is critical to service delivery.