Councillor shares Clairwood’s highs and lows

WARD 32 PR councillor, Sharmaine Sewshanker shares the latest challenges and developments in the residential community of Clairwood.

Water supply

Issues of deteriorating water pipes and lack of sufficient water supply is nothing new in Clairwood.

The residents of Sigamoney and Soupan roads are the latest on the receiving end of the consistent water woes in the area following a burst water pipe on Sunday, 16 August which required urgent repairs. On Monday, 17 August the Department of Water and Sanitation’s head, Bernard Gabela, confirmed that repairs to the water pipe had been completed however, the water supply had to remain shut.

“This is due to a storm water pipe that was damaged whilst repairing the water leak. The Stormwater Engineering Department needed to expedite before we could turn the water back on,” he said on the third day that the residents had been without water. Sewshanker further stated that her requests for water tankers at the time fell on deaf ears.

“There was absolutely no response to the request for water tankers for five days. The tankers only arrived late on Thursday (20, August) after several emails to all head of departments in the department of water and sanitation. Is it unacceptable and inexcusable that the residents of Clairwood are ignored especially during this this pandemic.”

Similarly a week ago, Persadh, Amber and Horseshoe roads had also been heavily flooded resulting in water flowing into peoples’ properties. Sewshanker has made numerous efforts to report every complaint that residents bring to her attention. She added that such incidents place the department of water and sanitation in the spotlight for not following up on service delivery issues.

“The situation is dire. It is unacceptable that the residents in the South Durban Basin have to endure these water queries that take weeks to resolve. Service delivery in Clairwood is especially stagnant. This severely affects local businesses and communities. We cannot afford this especially when it comes to water supply which is a crucial need to practicing good hygiene and containing the spread of Covid-19.”

Garden project

The residents of Cherry Road, Clairwood have embarked on a vegetable garden sustainability project.

“This was born from an idea to help encourage the community to prioritise a clean environment. The residential area of Clairwood is largely neglected in terms of service delivery and pollution is a huge factor in the south basin areas. This amazing community has taken the responsibility to clean up the area and turn it into a sustainable green space. The project has been doing well so far but the members of Vezokuhle Community Project have had with challenges with tools, pesticides and landscaping equipment. The department of agriculture and fisheries were contacted and have come on board to assist,” said Sewshanker.

She said that department officials visited the site a week ago and were impressed with the success of the garden so far. “They have agreed to assist and provide all the equipment and support necessary for the success of the garden. The project is like a breath of fresh air in the dusty, dry, polluted area of Clairwood. We need to create more green spaces in order to reduce the impact of the carbon emissions and industrial pollution in the area. We encourage more local communities to identify any piece of land that they think could be converted into a green space, be it for trees, flowers or vegetable gardens.

“Creating green spaces keeps youngsters off the street, help communities sustain themselves while improving the quality of air around them. We want to ‘greenify’ the South Durban Basin by planting trees for climate change mitigation, food security through food gardens. If you know of a vacant area that you would like to turn into a green space contact Sharmaine Sewshanker on 079-505-8505.  

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