Hutten Heights residents demand answers to 2-year sewage crisis

“Mr. Mayor, I want to know, would you live in these conditions for months on end?”

This was the question brought forward by residents of Fountain, Hillside, and Ring Avenues in upper Hutten Heights, who have been susceptible to the stench of raw sewage, constantly polluting their suburb.

WATCH: Sewage spills along Hillside Avenue in Hutten Heights: https://youtube.com/shorts/sAVL__N7V3k?si=3p-JPGfHcbOMdIk_

“It is an on-going problem that is not being fixed. The municipality was here a few weeks ago but only did a temporary fix. They promised to send the necessary machinery o to get to the ‘root’ of the problem, as it was believed that a large tree in one of the properties was to blame for the obstruction in the sewage lines. However, this has not yet happened; the sewage is seemingly getting worse by the day,” said a Hillside Avenue resident, who stated that they couldn’t even open their windows due to the horrible stench.

The Newcastle Advertiser has previously published municipal responses and articles regarding the sewage issues in Hutten Heights.

In October this year, Mthandeni Myende, the municipality’s acting director of communications and customer relations, said the sewage issue was primarily due to ageing infrastructure which has caused pipes to collapse.

These problems were exacerbated by the disposal of foreign objects and excessive fats into the sewer network.

The solution, according to him, lay in the replacement and upgrade of the ageing infrastructure, pending funding applications currently under review.

At the time, no timeline was given as these interventions depended on budget availability.

However, Myende said the municipality was ‘actively addressing’ sewer leaks in both Newcastle West and East to mitigate any potential risks to human safety and the environment.

“In cases where we are awaiting materials to replace damaged pipes, we deploy temporary measures such as a honey sucker or high-pressure machines to clear the sewer lines,” he said.

According to residents, however, these issues have not been resolved, and sewage continues to plague their neighbourhoods.

Residents are now begging to know whether their quality of life matters.

“Surely no municipal official, councillor or management employee would allow their own families to live in such atrocious conditions but expected tax-paying residents are expected to just ‘deal with it.’?

The Newcastle Advertiser reached out to the municipality for an updated statement, however, none was received by the time of going to print.

The news provided to you in this link has been investigated and compiled by the editorial staff of the Newcastle Advertiser, a sold newspaper distributed in the Newcastle area. Please follow us on Youtube and feel free to like, comment, and subscribe. For more local news, visit our webpage, follow us on Facebook and Twitter, and request an add on our WhatsApp (082 874 5550).