Cassandra a ‘stinking mess’
SOME Cassandra residents now have to put up with sewage water pushing up from their drains, toilets, and showers, as if it wasn't horrible enough to live without electricity on a regular basis due to cable theft.
It is evident from talking to a few residents that they are fed-up with the situation. Stan Honeyborne, a resident of Montagu Street, claims that the drains have been clogged for more than a month and that it is affecting about 50 homes in the area. Honeyborne pointed out that the nearby pump station had been broken into and the copper wires were all stolen, rendering it inoperable.
"When the sewage water began to accumulate last month, we reported the issue to Sol Plaatje Municipality. The city then dispatched a honey sucker to help clear the clogged drains. The drains were clear for a day after they departed, but then they backed up once more. Since then, they have not come again," Honeyborne said.
According to Honeyborne, he has been forced to perform some duties that he would never wish on anyone.
“I have to use a bucket to remove the sewage water when the drains are full. I then dump it into my pool because I'm not using it right now. I then pump the pool water back into the drains when the drains are repaired to get rid of the sewage water in my pool. What else am I supposed to do? If I don't get rid of the water in the drains, it will push up into my house.”
Around five years ago, the area's sewerage system was likewise clogged, according to Honeyborne. The sewage water surged from the toilets and the shower, flowing through his house and ruining the furniture, rugs and cabinets. He fears a similar catastrophe will occur again.
"The sewage water was drained out at the pump station when the municipality dispatched the honey sucker. After that, the sewage water was illegally poured into the veld close to the pump station, to my knowledge. It will create a health risk for the environment.”
Honeyborne claims that the municipality has done nothing about the situation since this initial intervention in the middle of October.
Honeyborne said that friends and family don't want to come and visit due to the stench.
“We have to put up with this odour and the sight of floating human waste in our yards. The amount of water in the drains increases each time we flush the toilet. With the drain level rising each time you take a bath or a shower, how can you manage?"
Honeyborne said that friends and family don't want to come and visit due to the stench.
He added that he experiences constant anxiety that his home will again be flooded by sewage water pushing up from the toilets and the shower.
"Since we are at the bottom of Cassandra, we must now sit with this issue. I occasionally wonder if Sol Plaatje Municipality has all of its many justifications for refusing to help written down someplace because they have a different excuse every time," he said.
Things are not any better for another local resident, Willie Niemann.
"I have sewage water streaming all over my yard and if it rises much higher the water will be in front of my kitchen door," Niemann said.
Niemann added that the sewage water has entered several sizable bird cages that he has in his backyard.
"My bird cages have raw sewage water at the bottom; this is dangerous not only for people but also for my birds."
“We are now tired of this, as well as the municipality’s lack of assistance. How long must we wait to be helped?”
According to Sol Plaatje Municipality spokesperson Thoko Riet, they have completed building the electrical panel for the pump station.
“The pump station should be operational by next week Wednesday if everything goes according to plan. We are co-ordinating the cabling and the panel, and once that is all completed the motor will be installed for the pump station to service the Cassandra sewerage line,” Riet said.
