Umdloti pump station damage causes sewage woes

A fetid odour has clouded Umdloti for the past three weeks after the town’s sewerage pump station was recently damaged.

Raw sewage has overflowed into the streets after heavy rains on August 8 again damaged the station, which was compromised during the April/May floods.

Sand flowed down from the damaged Umdloti Waterworks into the pump station, which is housed at Umdloti’s main circle between South and North Beach roads.

When the Courier visited the station on Sunday, workers were attending to the problem. The pump was expected to be operational again today (Wednesday).

This will come as a huge relief to residents who fear for their children, and pets that may not know to steer clear of the stagnant water on the streets.

E.coli is also front of mind following the outbreak on eThekwini’s seaboard, with Umdloti’s beaches included among those closed because of high levels of the bacteria.

Although it will be operational soon, the sewerage situation in Umdloti has long been an issue, said Umdloti Smart Village precinct manager, Vicky Schnetler.

“Similar issues have been occurring for years as the existing sewer system was not designed to cope with the development demands in the area over the past 10 years,” she said.

Problems with waste infrastructure have been widespread across eThekwini, with multiple problems reported in Westbrook alone over the past year.

For now, the situation has been remedied, but major upgrades may soon be needed if a permanent fix is desired.

eThekwini Metro did not respond to queries on the situation.

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