Sewage manhole overflows for months causes big stink
Due to a lack of maintenance, the pump station has been out for months, causing serious health hazards to the residents of Bush Road.
Residents of Bush Road in Noordheuwel are living like prisoners in their homes because of a faulty sewage pump station and an overflowing manhole.
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They are forced to constantly keep their windows closed due to the bad smell emanating from the manhole. It is also starting to affect their health.
The Krugersdorp News was alerted to the issue, which began with a sewage leak caused by poor maintenance at a nearby pump station. According to residents, the problem was reported multiple times, yet no action was taken. They claim the pump station has been non-functional for the past 17 months, leading to continuous sewage overflow that is now damaging the area’s infrastructure.
The smell is so bad, I close the windows all the time. I can’t live like a normal person in my own house, and we breathe dirty air,” said resident Kristen van Zyl.
Peter Modise, a Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC), informed residents that the problem would be resolved in October last year, but six months later, nothing had changed.
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Mogale City Local Municipality was approached for comment and confirmed in a statement that they are prioritising the situation.
“While we acknowledge that resource constraints may periodically arise, we remain fully committed to the
effective maintenance and operation of our pump stations,” the statement read.
The department’s budget for refurbishing, maintaining and operating sewage pump stations includes R13m from the municipality’s own funding while R25m is sourced from grant funding.”
Ward 22 councillor Devin Nieuwenhuyzen told the News that the situation is negatively affecting both properties and livelihoods, adding that no price can be placed on the health of freshwater systems or human lives.
”Unfortunately, urgent action from the municipality is required,” Nieuwenhuyzen said.
These are measures that Mogale City will put in place to prevent overflows:
• All non-operational sewer pump stations will be fully refurbished
• Maintenance teams and contractors are on standby to attend to emergencies at the pump stations or networks
• Municipal vacuum tankers assist with the emptying of pump station sumps in the event of failures or overflows
• Refurbished pump stations will all be equipped with two pumps and a third standby pump to handle any pump failures
• Security at pump stations has been upgraded to minimise vandalism and theft
• All new pump stations are equipped with standby generators, and the municipality is in the process of securing funding for generators and overflow sumps for all other pump stations
Additionally, community complaints about pump stations are forwarded to the maintenance teams for assessment and response. If the issue can be resolved immediately, it is attended to without delay,” Mogale’s statement read.
