RESIDENTS of Ward 35 are up in arms over a stream of wastewater near the Armstrong Avenue wastewater pump station that has formed into an informal pond.

The raw sewage has also created its own stream through the grassy area near the turning circle in La Lucia, and wastewater is then carried out to an outfall pipe flowing onto the beach near Saratoga Park.

Last week, residents and the ratepayers’ body met with Northglen News and voiced their anger and unhappiness over the time it’s taken the eThekwini Municipality to fix the issue as well as the impact on the environment, residents’ health and beaches.

Also read: Municipalities urged to prioritise damaged sewerage infrastructure

It is believed that the sewage overflow is a result of a damaged rising main sewerage pipe damaged by the floods in 2022 and severely damaged by heavy rains earlier this year.

Andrew Jamieson and Jens Reuning said that while the City has placed lime in the sewage pond to disinfect the wastewater, it is still a major health hazard.

“I feel the problem started after the 2022 floods – that’s when the pumpstation stopped working, and I feel that, at that stage, the sewerage rising main was damaged. Residents will remember how the bridge under the M4 was also covered in mounds of sand. The City eventually cleared under the bridge and got the pumps going again, however, in the last few months, residents have noticed an actual stream of sewage flowing through the green belt on Armstrong Avenue, and it has now collected in a sewage pond on one of side of the M4.

“My feeling is – this is not a difficult thing to fix. Thousands of rands have been spent on temporary fixes and lime to place into the sewage pond, but that is only treating the symptom. Much of that wastewater is also carried or flows into a stormwater pipe and ends up on the beach near Saratoga Park which is popular with fishermen,” Jamieson said.

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His comments were echoed by Reuning.

“It is unbelievable that this cesspool is situated right in the heart of Ward 35. It’s a stone’s throw away from the mall. Considering the impact the sewage has had on the environment, we, as residents, have to question why it has taken so long to address. We don’t feel this has received the right attention and urgency it requires. This is a public health hazard, and raw sewage continues to flow into the pond on a daily basis. We keep hearing a story that the City is planning to fix this but [there has been] no concrete action,” he said.

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