An horrendous stench of sewage is what residents have to endure on a daily basis on the corner of Theal and Fairburn Street.
Residents have been struggling with the smell for more than two years and say that a house belonging to the police (the Department of Public Works), is the cause of the stench.
Residents have also said that this matter has been raised to police numerous times, however, the sewage spill and the unbearable smell persist.
Residents in this area are concerned that the sewage spill is a health hazard for neighbours as well as for the environment because the sewage flows into a stormwater drain.
Speaking to the Ridge Times, a resident who wished not to be named said: “We can’t live like this anymore.”
The resident said that a private contractor had been brought in to fix the problem, however, it was never completely solved.
“I even told the contractor they were using the wrong pipes, but he laughed at me and said the police are paying. They never completed the job,” said the resident.
The resident said they just want the problem to be fixed once and for all.
“I have even reported this to councillors and the Govan Mbeki Municipality’s Environmental Department.
“The concern is that the sewage is flowing into the stormwater drain which then goes into our dams,” said the resident.
The Ridge Times has since reached out to the local police who confirmed the problem lies within the property of a house belonging to public works.
“We have already had three contractors who assessed the problem.”
Police say one contractor had quoted them R10 000 to fix the problem, however, this amount was too much and was then brought down to R6 500.
“The drain was still not fixed after this. We even had our own police station handyman come and see what the problem is, but we are just not getting the drain right,” said local police.
Police said that another contractor was brought in to fix the problem, however, this contractor has to date not been paid because the job was never completed.
Police also explained that the problem is about a meter and a half inside the property line from the border fence which results in the sewage flowing from the property into the stormwater drain.
“We are battling to get the problem fixed. We are aware of the situation and are making it a priority to get it fixed,” said the police.
The biggest challenge is getting in the right contractor who can complete the job once and for all at the right price.
Police are bound to follow procedures when getting in the right contractor.
Unfortunately, local contractors can not be used if not registered on the database and police have to follow prescribed procurement procedures.
Other challenges are contractors not giving the correct market-related quotations because of it being a government claim, and as a result, quotes received are extremely high and unreasonable.
This week, three contractors have been requested to send in quotations, of which they only have seven days to do so.
“We are prioritising the issue and are hopeful that this will be resolved shortly,” concluded the police.
