In the wake of several sewage issues being reported in Ward 83, Joburg Water has responded to an appeal put forward by the ward’s councillor, Florence Roberts.
Unresolved sewage leaks and burst pipes throughout the ward have been a huge concern, not only for the residents, but for their councillor as well. According to Florence, these sewage issues are recurring and revolve mostly around blockages, which then lead to sewage overflowing. The issues rear their ugly heads after heavy or prolonged rains, and the flooding that occurred on the weekend of 7 February has reportedly caused a lot of damage to the sewerage pipes.
Roodekrans Ext 9 has been experiencing a lot of issues regarding sewage spills, which have been reported several times. Joburg Water has responded to an appeal put forward by Florence and will be conducting in-depth investigations on that line, attempting to find the root cause of the recurring issues, especially the sewage spills. “We need to treat the cause, not just the symptoms,” said Florence.
Joburg Water will be working on the pipe that runs behind several Roodekrans residences, looking for any and all problems such as plants or other obstructions that may cause blockages. The team will also be looking at the structural integrity of the pipe, such as if there are any cracks, or any exposed areas that can be damaged during rains, floods, or by rocks.
The Joburg Water team will start the investigations today, 3 March, and the work will most likely continue through to Friday, 6 March (weather permitting).
A civil design team will conduct the investigations, not labourers. The design team will need access to a few residences as the mainline does not run under the road reserve, but mostly through the back boundaries of some homes in the area.
Florence has appealed to her residents to cooperate and allow the Joburg Water team onto their properties to conduct the CCTV survey. The team will be working between 9am and 4pm this week, and residents are asked to remember that labourers are not conducting these investigations.
The team will be led by the Team Project Leader, Tonic Funzani, so if residents have any concerns or would like to confirm the identity of a member of the team, Tonic can be contacted on 079 469 9844. Alternatively, Florence can also be contacted on 082 414 9735 if any issues are encountered.
Florence will be able to provide a map of the residences that will be affected.
If the main issue is not this pipe, investigations will move to secondary pipes until the cause is determined.
Florence also responded to concerns about sewage in Wilro Park. A big issue relating to sewage in the ward has been around Kruinpark Retirement Village. A camera was sent down the pipes outside the retirement village and it was determined that the blockage was being caused by bushes, plants, and tree roots inside the pipe.
On a day when the weather was dry, workers went into the pipes to remove the plants. Florence said the pipes need to be cleared almost yearly due to the trees on specific properties which residents do not want to remove. “It is private property, so they cannot be forced to remove the trees, but these residents must then be aware that the sewage problems will keep coming back because of the roots of the problematic trees,” said the councillor.
