ALBERTON – If water provision is a human right then providing the sewerage is human dignity. But in Ekurhuleni the sewage seems to flow undignified down our streets. I have stopped counting the amount of blocked sewers in Ekurhuleni especially in Alberton. My two children are in Laerskool Randhart and on a regular basis I drive through sewage flowing in front of their school. The shocking part is that many other primary school children walk barefoot to school through this river of sewage!
This is an unpleasant experience because of the lingering stench of sewage flowing in the street in front of the school. I have done a study on who’s exactly is to blame for this malfunction of the sewer system in Alberton. The finding of my study was quite unexpected. Ekurhuleni Metropolitan Municipality’s Water and Sanitation Department attended to more than 55 000 blocked drains in the Metro last year.
Rubble and foreign objects caused more than half of the sewer blockages. In a recent incident in Alberton the Water and Sanitation Department had to call in the assistance of the fire brigade to remove bricks that were lodged six meters deep in the sewer line. You will not believe what people flush down their drains. Other items found included shoes, clothing, linen and general household waste including building rubble and various other strange objects?
The Metro’s official records show that the majority of blockages are caused by foreign objects that are disposed of into sewer manholes or flushed down toilets into the system. These further include glass, crockery, cutlery, newspapers, sanitary towels, disposable nappies and even tires. It may surprise residents but maintenance is not the reason for the failure of our sewer system. The weird things that residents flush down their toilets are the cause of damage to the municipal sewer system and this ends up posing a threat to human health.
When sewage overflows into the streets, residents, particularly children, become exposed to waterborne diseases which may be present in sewage affluent. Ekurhuleni will spend R7.5 million this year for maintenance to prevent sewerage blockages. The bulk of this money is spent on repairing damaged sewer infrastructure and clearing the purposely caused blockages by residents.
Let’s bridge the gap and do our bit to reduce the number of preventable blockages. For waste disposal tips follow me on twitter @neildiamond7
