Residents of Central View in Mabopane are reeling under a squalor situation of a drain that has been leaking for over a year and has not been repaired. As a result, the community is suffering from many effects of this situation including bad smell, a damaged road and a health hazard to children who are exposed to the leaking drain.
According to members of the community the drain started leaking around October 2017 and has gone from bad to worse over time.
Taxi drivers and car owners are avoiding the road because the water from the drain has damaged the road resulting in potholes. Passengers in the taxis also urge the taxi drivers not to take that particular road because of the bad smell. This has affected the residents in the area because the taxis no longer come their way.
“We cannot even open our doors and windows to enjoy fresh air in this hot weather because of the stench that comes from the drain,” said Sadie Pheladi, a community member.
Another community member, Ms Lesego Makopo, said it is also difficult to enjoy food because of the smell that always occupies the area.
Recently the maintenance crew from the City of Tshwane came to try to clear the drain and fix it, but it started leaking again afterwards and what comes out of the drain is too much to explain and it is a sore sight that the community has to bear with every day, not to mention the health hazard and the danger it posses to the children.
Darryl Moss, MMC for Service Infrastructure at the City of Tshwane, said the Mawiga Region has had a challenge with unblocking sewers. However, a service provider has now been appointed and has started with an unblocking program.
“The backlog should be cleared by the end of this month. At another level, many of the sewers were installed many years ago and in certain areas the pipes have cracked, broken or have collapsed,” said Mr Moss.
He said last year the city started a three year sewer replacement program In Garankuwa and Soshanguve and that this is progressing well and many areas have seen the results.
“The city is aware of the difficulties experienced due to the sewer issues and we apologize to the residents, we are working very hard to overcome this problem,” he said.
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