President Park Residents’ Association chairperson, John Gainsford, spoke to Midrand Reporter about the problem before Joburg Water attended to it. He said the smell was unbearable and, “This has obviously affected water, animal and bird life in the Vorna Valley vlei [which have all] decreased in the past year due to contaminated water. Joburg Water should have attended to this a long time ago.”
Joburg Water spokesperson, David Sibiya, said the spill site is being cleaned up. He explained, “There were two blockages on a private property which is fenced off. We noticed the sewer overflow after there was a fire and the blockage became visible.”
He added that while clearing the blockage, Joburg Water discovered that the sewer line was clogged with fat and what is suspected to be soap suds. Sibiya said the environmental health department will investigate the matter further.
The private property’s owners, Old Mutual Properties, also spoke about the sewage leak saying they were glad the leak had been fixed. “We will continue to monitor the site for any further leaks and, in the meantime, have employed an environmental service team who will conduct a clean-up of the site after the 15 September for a period of about two weeks.”
Have you seen how the vlei has been affected? Share your views with us @MidrandReporter
