Merebank residents frustrated over continuous sewage overflow

DESPITE logging more than 160 complaints about the ongoing sewage overflows in the area, residents of Merebank say their plea for assistance has fallen on deaf ears.

Resident Samuel Jogiah said he fears that his home could soon collapse as the sewage has resulted in cracks in the ground. “I can see the cracks in the ground, and sewage is pushing up through them. I am worried that the ground will collapse and cause my house to collapse or a sinkhole in my yard. I have made several calls to the City, and it seems that I am just collecting reference numbers,” he said.

Another resident Mogie Nair said she is often trapped in her home as sewage flows from the drain next to her doorway.

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“It is worse when it rains as there is toilet paper and faeces outside my doorway. The stench is so unbearable. We cannot even eat as there are flies. It is very unhygienic,” she said.

Navin Singh, a resident and community representative, said they have a spreadsheet to keep a record of the number of reports made to the City, as well as the responses received. “From our record, we have made 164 calls to the City from September to mid-November. While they do come out and clean the sewerage main pipeline, within days, we are back where we started. There needs to be a greater solution to this problem.

“We have old and broken infrastructure, as well as failing pump stations. There is only one pump working at the pump stations as the other one was broken and removed to be repaired almost three years ago. This one pump has to service over 2 000 homes. There is also no maintenance of the sump in the pump stations. “It is very frustrating for residents who are ratepayers, that they have to live in such conditions. There are many elders in the community who suffer with various health conditions, who are also being affected and are now trapped in their homes,” he said.

Sthembiso Ngema, the DA’s deputy leader in KZN, said, “The City doesn’t care about the community. It takes the City at least two weeks to attend to the problem. There is no political will to get this problem sorted, and it is getting worse. “

The only way the residents will get relief from this issue is if the City replaces all the old pipes, fixes the pump stations and maintains the infrastructure, not just in Merebank, but throughout the city. It is an easy exercise that can and must be done,” he said.

Gugu Sisilana, the City’s spokesperson said the City is aware of the sewage issues.

Also read: Sewage stink suffocates Treasure Beach residents

“The mayor met with communities’ ratepayer associations and councillors recently. An action plan was presented, which was acceptable to the representatives present,” she said.

Sisilana said the root cause has been found to be silt in line, as well as the disposal of alien objects into the city’s sewerage system.

“Our sewerage system is not built to handle objects, such as paper and plastic, or any other foreign materials that do not dissolve or soften. These blockages remain a challenge we are experiencing daily in our communities because people dispose of foreign objects into the system.

“We are appealing to all our residents to desist from doing that and to use the correct materials for sanitation purposes,” she said.

Sisilana said the City is looking into upgrading infrastructure.

“However, communities need to understand that if the issue of disposing of alien objects is not addressed, we will continue to struggle with the same blockages,” she said.

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