Inroads being made to Reduce Pollution in Swartspruit
by Cllr. Tracey Lourenco — DA Ward 104 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
Date: 19 June 2023
Release: Immediate
Type: Press Statement
The Democratic Alliance (DA) in Ekurhuleni continues to be inundated with calls from concerned residents in Edleen regarding the deteriorating condition of the Swartspruit, as the Cholera outbreak takes centre stage in the media, we need to take every precaution to ensure that our water bodies are protected.
The Swartspruit originates in Isando and eventually ends up in the Rietvlei dam, one of the major dams supplying water to the Pretoria region. It is for this reason that the DA has continuously applied pressure on the various Environment and Water and Sanitation Departments to keep our water bodies clean and free from contamination. The contamination of the Swartspruit is however not a new issue as it has been an ongoing concern for several years. The foul stench of sewage in and around our communities is a clear indication that not enough is being done by the City to protect our water bodies and wetlands.
In 2018 the DA tabled a motion in Council requesting the City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) to take immediate action to locate the source of the sewage that is contaminating the spruit and to implement appropriate rehabilitation measures to improve water quality. This motion was however rejected by the ANC-led Coalition. This decision to prevent the motion from serving in council highlighted the lack of political from the ANC to effectively serve the interests of our community and to ensure the future health of our environment. The DA has also laid criminal charges due to the massive environmental damage and health risks that this disaster is posing.
The Water and Sanitation Department has, however, made significant inroads in the rehabilitation of the Swartspruit following increased pressure from the DA in Kempton Park.
Several sewer blockages contributed to the contamination of the Spruit during February and March 2023, which have since been repaired.
On the 4th of March 2023, the department found a 900mm concrete sewer line that had collapsed in Rhodesfield near Kelvin Street, which was repaired on the 5th of March 2023.
The Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) construction has also contributed to the sewer ingress when they caused damage to the line which took a few days to repair.
Furthermore, the team located a sewer overflow on Duvenhage and CR Swart Street in Edleen (which is the sewer outfall line from Cresslawn and Kelvin) which was blocked with rags. The sewer line was unblocked the very same day.
Blockages were also found in Spartan where the line was blocked with rags and industrial effluent. The department is currently investigating the matter to determine where the industrial effluent is originating from to ensure that it is dealt with in terms of the by-laws of the City.
Water testing and monitoring will be done monthly and shared with the operations team who will be monitoring water quality levels to identify levels of contamination and identify and clear sewer leaks and blockages as and when they occur.
With significant progress being made to reduce pollution in the Swartspruit, we would like to urge residents not to put any foreign objects into the sewer infrastructure. The department also encourages residents to report all sewer leaks and blockages to the Call Center so that a reference is produced which will assist with tracking progress on work done and the resolving of complaints.
The DA will continue to fight for environmental conservation and will apply pressure on the Department to ensure that water contamination becomes a thing of the past.
We cannot sit idle while the EFF/ANC-led coalition blatantly ignores the environmental damage being done in and around our communities.
We will also continue to monitor the water results from the department to keep our City free from contamination.
Media Enquiries
Cllr. Tracey Lourenco
DA Ward 104 Councillor in Ekurhuleni
082 451 2255
