Disgruntled and fed-up Palm Street residents say that they are at their wits’ end as raw sewage continues to flood their backyards despite reaching out to the municipality multiple times.
“This is the not first time that we are complaining about this and a few months ago, we had the same problem,” said a resident who wished to remain anonymous. Residents said that they have called uThukela District Municipality, but still nothing is being done. “We have dug trenches in the garden to allow the overflow to flow out into the street. The smells are unbearable and we have been struggling like this for over a week.”
Councillor Abbas Warasally told The Ladysmith Herald that Palm Street is not the only street that is struggling with raw sewage. “There are other residents who are also experiencing the same problem.” He further explained that the reason uThukela District Municipality cannot assist at this time is because the ‘sewage jet’ that is used to clear blocked drains has gone in for repairs.
“I’m in daily updates to find out how long the repair on the high-powered sewage jet sprayer will be,” said Cllr Warasally. He said that he understands that everyone is upset, however, at this stage, this is the only tool that can be used. “With residents using newspaper, rocks and even pieces of material when using the toilet, uThukela crews can no longer utilise the usual pole to unblock drains and need the high-powered jet spray to dislodge these items. It is so important for residents to know that using materials that are not made for the sewage system is going to cause problems.”
Cllr Warasally said that the local sewage pump station that is also located in the area is currently being fixed and will be up and running in no time. “The area has had problems and I am aware of them all, but with the repairs being done on the pump station, this will also alleviate the problems that residents in the area are faced with.”
