Residents struggle as manholes overflow on Coronation Road
As multiple manholes ooze raw sewage on Coronation Road, local residents are left dealing with unbearable smells and health risks, raising concerns over Johannesburg Water's slow response to their pleas for help.
A worsening crisis has left residents in distress, as four manholes ooze raw sewage onto Coronation Road, Sandhurst, raising health concerns and frustrations over what they perceive as inadequate responses from Johannesburg Water (JW).
An elderly resident, who asked not to be named, said, “The sewage oozing in front of our home has created an unbearable smell, and it’s become a serious health issue.”
The resident claimed they had contacted JW daily for weeks, reporting the situation, but with little relief.
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A JW representative had previously informed them that the department was waiting for specialised equipment to remove roots causing blockages in the manholes.
“They keep telling us they are waiting for a machine. I just don’t understand why it’s taking so long.
“It’s been a frustrating experience. After years of dealing with these sewage problems, things peaked at the end of last year when one of the manholes started oozing [sewage] badly.
“We’re losing our patience. We’ve become accustomed to living with this potential health risk while the rates we pay for waste removal continue to rise.”
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JW spokesperson Nombuso Shabalala confirmed that they were aware of the situation and said the problem was that there were a lot of trees planted directly on top of JW’s main sewerage pipeline, in contravention of the City of Johannesburg’s by-laws. This makes it more difficult to maintain the line, especially with the sewerage main line being in a servitude on the property.
“When something like trees, buildings, or houses are erected on top of municipal servitudes, or infrastructure, such as sewerage or water pipelines, JW is unable to access the infrastructure when it needs to do maintenance on it.
“Currently, the contractor for the jetting machine is in the process of purchasing a high-pressure root cutter, which they should have by the end of next week,” Shabalala said.
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Regarding what steps they were taking to ensure the health and safety of residents living in proximity to these sewage leaks, Shabalala said when JW cleaned up a sewage spillage, a disinfectant was used to wash down the spillage.
“Planned systematic cleaning is a method where JW cleans the sewerage main line by pulling, or pushing, a brush through the pipeline. This can be arranged for every four to five months, where a team or jet truck can be sent to that specific address. In this case, JW will book that job to come up every five months,” she concluded.
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