Melanie Louw from Vredekloof is one of numerous residents in the neighbourhood who know what it is to live with smelly sewage in her backyard, forced to keep her windows closed and pets inside.
TygerBurger has, since 2019, been reporting on the frequent sewage overflows in the area. Complaints over the constant sewage overflows were reported to authorities over the years.
Most recently, the main sewer line behind the properties facing Brackenfell Boulevard was overflowing, leaving a river of sewage running down the busy boulevard into the stormwater system.
As before, complaints were met by the same stock standard replies from the City, with no durable solutions.
“Once logging a call or escalating the matter the replies are predictable. Firstly, one is informed that the sewage spill or overflow is due to root growth. Once one debunks this by pointing to the absence of trees, the second comeback is that garbage was dumped into the sewage line.”
Louw said after first complaining in 2019 her back garden was dug up to replace the sewage pipes. In January she had another massive sewage spill. “The entire nightmare started again, and again… a tree root.”
She said there’s an indisputable pattern; the Vredekloof sewage infrastructure is problematic. “Was the previous work to solve this problem adequately or completely done? If so, why the recurrence?”
Manager of the Vredekloof City Improvement District Leon Brynard agreed. He said the City employed a contractor at the end of last year to re-sleeve sewer pipes in some areas of Vredekloof, something he thought would solve the problem. However, there has not yet been a notable difference. In re-sleeving, a solid new pipe without connections is placed inside the existing sewer pipe from manhole to manhole, he explained. “In the past, tree-roots were given as the reason for the blockages,” Brynard explained, “something that will be prevented after re-sleeving. Or else, it’s a capacity problem.
He said residents are asking that development stop until infrastructure with sufficient capacity is in place, which is what astonishes Louw and other residents, as they are continuing at a massive tempo.
“Surely this will just make the current problems with sewage spills so much worse,” Louw said. “Yet, this happens despite the knowledge that the sewage infrastructure cannot even carry the current residents. What exactly is the long-term plan?”
City doubles down
In response to questions posed by TygerBurger to the City, Mayco member for Water and Sanitation Zahid Badroodien stood by the same narrative of the last six years. “The City investigated the blockage by using CCTV camera inspections and found that the frequent overflows are being caused by the roots of trees. Blockages are created when foreign objects get entangled in these roots. Foreign objects from the area include sanitary towels, baby wipes and bones.”
He said the City had previously removed the roots using a root cutter, but that it proved to be only a temporary solution as they grow back within a matter of weeks.
Badroodien didn’t mention the current re-sleeving project, but said additional root-cutting is set to commence in April as part of the winter-readiness programme.
With regard to the planned new developments in Vredekloof, Deputy Mayor and Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment Eddie Andrews noted it is incorrect to assert that the City would approve new developments despite inadequate sewage infrastructure.
“Development charges paid by developers are used for the future upgrades and maintenance of external bulk services. These charges are calculated in accordance with the size and impact of the said development,” he said.
Land-use applications and building plans are assessed in terms of planning bylaws and spatial policies, in which all relevant City engineering departments give their input, he said, upon which it is evaluated in terms of its own merits, as well as comments received from the public.
“Over and above the development charges, depending on the scale and size of development, additional road or infrastructure upgrade to link services may be required as part of the conditions of approval for a development,” said Andrews.
No additional sewer upgrades
However, this is not the case in Vredekloof, as Badroodien advised TygerBurger that no additional sewer upgrades will be required on the downstream sewer infrastructure as part of the proposed new developments in Vredekloof.
“One development will connect to an existing 250mm municipal sewer main that runs along the western boundary of the property and connects to a 400mm sewer main and a 600mm bulk sewer line along the R300 road reserve and Kuils River corridor further downstream. It is designed or sized to accommodate the sewage flow of the entire upstream catchment area that can drain to it. The other development will connect to an existing 150mm to 225mm municipal sewer main in George Street that drains south, underneath the N1 highway and through Morgenster Heights via a sewer main that becomes 250mm and 315mm further downstream,” he said.
Amid health concerns around sewage spills, the City advises residents to avoid direct contact or exposure to wastewater or any other contaminant, if possible.
“In the event that any person develops symptoms that they believe could be linked to any source of contamination, they are advised to report to their nearest public health facility or private medical service provider for investigation and treatment,” a spokesperson stated.
