Rivers of filth run through White River

WHITE RIVER – Mere metres from a classroom filled with one-year-olds, and divided from the colourful and safe surrounding of the White River Pre-Primary School, two rivers of raw human waste have been flowing for years.

This sewage spill has, according to school principal Ms Riëtte Kruger, been reported to Mbombela on several occasions over the past couple of years. The school has also complained about this situation to the local health inspector.

To date, council’s technical services had on a few occasions attempted to unblock the pipeline. This approach, however, has failed as a permanent solution. An abandoned rod can still be seen sticking out from the oozing mess. “It usually deteriorates within two to four weeks to the same situation,” confirmed Kruger.

“We can’t open the windows of the classrooms, even when it is hot, because of the stench,” said an exasperated teacher.

This season, with the perennial stream of effluent, has brought on a plague of mosquitoes. A parent at the school showed the bite marks on his two-year-old’s arms and legs. The school has to spend money to eradicate this plague. After a visit by the DA on Wednesday afternoon, a notice will be issued to Mbombela by this party to provide a permanent solution to this problem within seven days, and failing to do so would result in a complaint with the Human Rights Commission.

Mbombela, will the White River turn brown?

Lowvelder awaits a response from Mbombela on this matter and the general state of the sewerage system in the town.

The spokesman, Mr Jospeh Ngala has, after more than a month of repeated requests, still not responded to media enquiries about the state of the waste-water treatment plant, nor regarding seven identified sewage spills in and around town. These places were pointed out by the White River Valley Irrigation Board and taken up with the manager of water and sanitation, Mr Pinky Hermanus, by the Crocodile River Forum.

To date, no satisfactory response has been forthcoming from council. The Crocodile Forum meets again on Friday and expects feedback from Mbombela on its waste-water treatment plants and water pollution. At a previous forum gathering, held on August 23, a report was presented by the municipality on the Rocky Drift and White River waterworks.

This indicated that these plants experienced failure both downstream and upstream on both of them. According to the report, neither Phase 1 or 2 of the White River WWTW were in operation – only Phase 3 was.

Rocky Drift’s capacity was 1,5ML and according to the report, the plant was in a good operating condition. The municipality was in compliance with its licence requirements at this plant.

The forum said it was glad to receive the update from Mbombela and that an action plan from the municipality relating to White River and Rocky Drift had been provided. More details regarding this plan were not communicated to the media, despite a request to Ngala for this information.