Boots on the ground as work set to begin to repair broken sewer main polluting Ruimsig river
The long wait for budget approval ends with a temporary fix to be installed.
Work to stop the pollution of the Muldersdrift se Loop is imminent.
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A temporary solution has been approved to plug the gaping hole that has been spewing raw effluent since early December last year. Every day between 200 000 and 250 000 litres of sewerage has been polluting a tributary of the Crocodile River, causing environmental destruction and economic loss along the picturesque banks.
At an April 20 site visit to run through the scope of work, the immediate area surrounding the broken manhole was blanketed in white foam covering a murky brown body of water. After pressure from residents, businesses, and municipal officials from both the City of Johannesburg and Mogale City, Johannesburg Water has been approved to plug the source of the toxic stench.
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The project is set to commence the week of the Freedom Day public holiday with the final handover projected for the last week in May. The overall repair project will be split into two phases, the first phase being the temporary fix and the second being the permanent long-term solution earmarked for late in 2023. The reprieve features a durable plastic pipe being connected to a rebuilt manhole and welded to the existing supports, while phase two is yet to be designed.
At the time of the site visit, it had been 130 days of incessantly flowing waste. Procedural red tape and budget approval were among the biggest stumbling blocks but after an application for emergency funds was submitted, just under R2 million was allocated for phase one. At the site visit attended by Ward 97 councillor, Jacques Hoon, it was estimated that phase two of the rebuild may come at a cost of roughly R7 million.
Councilor Hoon was quick to deflect any credit for the project’s approval, instead praising the significant contributions made by trustees from Two River Country Estate, Honeydew Residents Association, and residents of Mogale City who border the river downstream.
An end to the pollution will be a welcome sight with the true goal being the rehabilitation of the river’s ecosystem.
