Sewage spoils riverside living for Edenburg residents
What should be a peaceful riverside setting at the Sandspruit River has become a source of frustration for residents dealing with recurring sewage spills, foul odours, and fears of pollution.
For Edenburg residents living alongside the Sandspruit River, the sound of flowing water should be something to enjoy.
Instead, they are becoming all too familiar with another kind of flow: Sewage. Residents along Stiglingh Road say recurring sewage spills have turned what should be a peaceful riverside environment into a smelly and frustrating reminder of a problem they say needs more than temporary fixes.
Read more: Edenburg residents demand a permanent fix as sewage keeps flowing into Sandspruit River
The latest spill hit the river on the morning of August 12, sending the wastewater from a manhole outside Joy Stewart’s property towards Sandspruit.
During Ward 109 councillor Lori Coogan’s site visit, along with the Sandton Chronicle, on August 13, Stewart said the problem has become a recurring feature of life.
According to Stewart, she has reported the problem to Johannesburg Water (JW) every month for the past eight months, but the sewage continues to return, particularly after even a slight rainfall.
“Johannesburg Water came to stop the sewage spill at around 11:00 on August 13, but at around 14:00 it was again flowing.
“I can’t even sit outside and watch the birds swimming at the river. I have to cancel dinner parties because my balcony is overlooking Sandspruit and I cannot have people overlooking the flood of effluents.
“People walk their dogs here and we love to sit here and be part of the environment, but with this sewage issue, it’s just impossible. The river smells.”
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She added that, as residents, they spend so much money trying to keep the river clean, but this happens over and over again. “One feels so hopeless, because there just doesn’t seem to be an end to this problem. It’s terrible to see it running into the river. You can actually see the river turning brown.
“It has a big effect on the people that use the Sandspruit, and live next to the river, because it just takes away the pleasure and people avoid it.”
Coogan acknowledged that this is an ongoing issue, and said residents need to look at the ways to stop the sewage from recurring. She advised residents to look at bioremediation off site, in their toilets, to get rid of the fat that is congealed inside the pipes to help digest the sewerage.
“If you have a look at what’s coming out of the manhole you will see there’s a whole lot of things, including baby wet wipes, that people should not be flushing down into the toilets.
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“If we could have proper hygiene, in terms of what is flushed down the toilet, then that would also help and assist with blockages.” Coogan added that there’s also a need to look at a strategic way of making this not happen regularly.
JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala said the sewage was caused by intrusive roots in the sewer network. “Root growth can obstruct the flow of wastewater and result in recurring blockages. The Johannesburg Water team attended to the reported blockage and cut and removed the roots obstructing the sewer line.
“At the time of the initial intervention, the sewer line was flowing freely after the roots had been cleared. When the blockage was reported again, the team identified additional root intrusion on the line, which was also attended to.”
She added that, as part of longer-term approach JW would continue with public education and awareness initiatives, encouraging residents to use the sewer network responsibly, and prevent activities that contribute to blockages.
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