Mitchells Plain residents say a foul-smelling “river of poo” near their homes is making life unbearable and is even causing bad skin rashes for some.
Bahia Petersen from Montrose Park said the river started to flow on a field behind her Tessa Crescent home during mid-December and the effects are being felt by everybody.
“The people in Tania, Samantha and Tracy Crescent all complain about the smell because it is just s*** that flows in that water all the time,” she says.
“We had an issue with the drains in the road that was overflowing and the City came to fix that at the start of December but I do not know what they did because now the water flows on the field behind us and it has become a river now.”
The 54-year-old says the stench has become unbearable while some mense have also started to develop skin rashes.
“We cannot even open our windows because of the smell and if we hang up washing then our clothes smell like that even though it is washed,” she says.
“If you feel our skin then it feels all bumpy and rashy plus people are getting sick or sukkel to breathe because they cannot get fresh air.
“This is a problem and something must be done.”
She says people are also using the veld as a dump site, making matters worse.
Mayco member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said they are aware of the problem, and the department suspects this collection of water was originally caused by rain that got contaminated when earlier sewer blockages occurred.
“There is no road for the City’s trucks and vehicles to access the area,” he says
“The department is busy constructing a temporary road so that this water can be pumped into the City’s sewer pipeline.”