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KAROO NEWS - Months of sewage spills, primarily originating from the Santaville residential area as well as the Margery TB Clinic in Graaff-Reinet, have caused Sias Smith, the chairperson of the People for Basic Rights (P4BR) movement, endless sleepless nights.
Smith has been aware of these spills for more than six months and says he has informed the municipality about the untenable situation more than once.
PHOTO GALLERY: Sewage spills in Santaville residential area
Not getting any joy, Smith contacted the Advertiser to see the two ongoing sewage spills for ourselves on 7 September.
During this initial visit, Smith pointed out that sewage from Santaville was flowing from the graveyard stonewall into what resembled a "sewage dam" measuring approximately 20 by 15 meters wide. The stream then continued for another 100 meters into the Sondags River.
On that day, three dogs were seen drinking from the sewage stream. At another site, a few meters from the TB Clinic, a smaller stream of sewage was flowing from what appeared to be a broken pipe.
Contact with DBNLM
On 18 September, the Advertiser contacted Dr Edward Rankwana, the Graaff-Reinet Municipal Manager, to address the issue.
He was out of town for work and directed the inquiry to a municipal spokesperson, Edwardine Abader.
In an e-mail to her, the Advertiser explained the two sewage leaks and also attached photos.
Abader responded as follows: "The Municipality continuously faces challenges with blockages on the main line due to vandalism. We suspect that manhole covers are being broken, possibly due to steel or wires enclosed inside them. Foreign matter is dumped inside the pipes, causing blockages. A team from the Infrastructure Services Directorate is addressing these blockages. This is an ongoing issue, not a one-time occurrence. The Municipality is on-site to tackle the sewer blockage."
Two days later, on 20 September, the Advertiser revisited the site and found two children playing in the dried-up sewage spill where a concrete lid had been placed over the leak at the stonewall. That leak had been attended to, but the problem persisted about 50 meters further down, where orange plastic gloves were found, and raw sewage containing visible faecal matter was streaming out of another blocked manhole.
Persistence pays off
On the very same day the Advertiser contacted Bennie Arends, Director of Infrastructure Waterworks and Sanitation, who was Acting Municipal Manager at the time.
Arends and Byron Koeberg, Assistant Manager of Water and Sanitation, met at the Advertiser's office, and around 12:00 Koeberg inspected the leakages on site and was shocked by the situation. He committed to addressing the issue immediately. But, upon re-inspection on 26 September, the problem persisted.
The Advertiser contacted Arends again on 27 September, and he assured the paper that the problem would be resolved, with an answer before the end of the day. He emphasised his clear instruction: "Get the problem fixed and secure the area for residents."
On 2 October, the Advertiser attempted to contact Arends and left a voice message on his phone, inquiring if any work was scheduled.
On Tuesday 3 October, around 07:00, Arends replied, stating that his team was on site, clearing blockages, manhole to manhole.
Trucks and workers everywhere
On Tuesday, at around 11:00, the Advertiser and Sias Smith met at the problem areas and were elated to see that their persistence has paid off.
At the location of the "sewage dam," at least four water and sanitation trucks were busy cleaning the manholes and extracting water from the "dam." The area where raw faeces had been leaking was cleared, and a new concrete lid was installed. Two additional trucks arrived to begin suction and cleaning operations. At the TB clinic, at least 10 workers were busy digging out the broken pipe and replacing it with a new one.
Arends also undertook to start clean-up work, where sewage flowed, once all work was completed.
Dogs drinking the sewage water.
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