Machadodorp sewage spill plagues residents
The leak was first reported by residents in March this year, with thousands of litres flowing into the Skoonspruit and Elands River, however, they have said their complaints fell on deaf ears.
Major concerns over massive amounts of sewage spilling from the Machadodorp Sewage Plant have been raised by locals and experts alike.
A University of Mpumalanga microbiology professor, Moses Mbewe, said the spill could not only endanger the lives of communities living near the plant, but could also have disastrous effects on the environment.
“The spill should have been fixed the day it started. It should have been a high priority,” said the professor.
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He said judging from photographs of the spill, it appeared the leak had been ongoing for months, which meant dangerous bacteria from the sewage has by now seeped into the soil and ground surrounding the plant, and has contaminated the water with E.coli, potentially deadly to people.
With the Skoonspruit near to the plant, residents said the sewage has been flowing into the river, which eventually enters the Elands River.
A resident, who would not be named for fear of victimisation by the municipality, said, “This clearly shows that Emakhazeni Local Municipality has no control and it is time to take action against the responsible managers.
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“The issue was reported on March 18 without any intervention from Emakhazeni Local Municipality,” said the resident.
Mbewe added that communities in the Machadodorp and Waterval Boven areas who lived close to rivers often let children play in and around the water and sometimes consume it.
“It creates a whole litany of issues. And the rehabilitation of the spill will be extremely costly and take at least a season or longer.”
Emakhazeni Local Municipality had not responded to media queries at the time of going to press.
