Residents and students making their way to work and college have raised concerns over the filth caused by dumping near the Bisasar Road Landfill site, on the same street as the eThekwini TVET College, Springfield Campus in Clare Hills. The entire road is covered in rubble and is always damp and smelly making it difficult for commuters using the street to breathe in fresh air.
Resident Olwethu Nkonyeni said the filth is just too much. “I find it difficult to understand why Durban Solid Waste Department or the municipality on the same street is not bothered by this. This is a health hazard. When going to work we are always worried that the stench will stay on our clothes and when we get to work we have to change into clean clothes.” She said that it is even worse for the students at the college who have to study with the stench coming into their class windows. “How are they supposed to study? Something must be done,” Nkonyeni added.
The Springfield Weekly Gazette spoke to some students who also felt that action needs to be taken with regards to the filth. “This place will make us sick. We breathe in smoke and chemicals which comes from burning chemical bottles which are dumped in the landfill site. We also have to walk through piles of trash at times as the road is filled with rubble which is spread on the streets by vagrants who open up the packets scratching for reusables. Something must be done,” said a student.
The Springfield Weekly Gazette visited the site and found that the road was flooded as a result of a blocked stormwater drain. The ward councillor for the area and eThewkini Municipality were contacted for comments, however, at the time of going to press none were received.
