Mitchells Plain residents gatvol of poo spill
Poo water overflows in the main road in Montrose Park.
Residents in Montrose Park, Mitchells Plain say they are sick and tired of living in a crappy situation.
For more than three months, they’ve been dealing with a massive sewage spill, with poo water overflowing from drains in the area.
Aghmad Richards, 33, the assistant secretary at Igwaanul Muslimeen Islamic Society, a mosque in Samantha Road, says musalees entering the mosque have to step through the poo water, resulting in a stench during prayers.
“The drainage system in various parts of the area is overflowing. Everyone is affected and this is a main road.
“Council workers came when we sent requests, but it’s always temporary. When they leave, after a couple of hours or the next day, it starts again,” says Richards.
He says he’s been informed it’s a “long-term problem”.
“If the community doesn’t stand up and escalate this problem, they’re just going to leave it until they have the budget to sort it out.”
The mosque runs a feeding scheme, and Richards says the spill has become a health hazard.
Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Waste, Xanthea Limberg says the City’s Water and Sanitation Department is working to clear a sewer blockage on a 450mm sewer pipeline running through the area.
“Overpumping in Swartklip Road is taking place while the blockage is being removed,” she says.
“This has stopped the overflow during the day.
“Unfortunately it is not possible to continue this operation at night due to safety concerns.”