The Mangaung Municipality Technical Services says that while attending sewer blockages calls they have identified that a lot of residents throw foreign objects in toilets or manholes which ultimately leads to the blockages.
Bloemfontein Courant sat down with a member of the Mayoral Committee, Councillor Vusi Soqaga, who touched on some of the challenges they face when aiding the communities. In a report compiled by the municipality, it was revealed that since last year January until now, they have attended to over 19,000 sewer blockages.
“During the process of unblocking we discovered a lot of foreign objects. People are throwing a lot of things in the toilets which don’t belong there. I think it’s a lack of education. The people are not informed on what happens when they throw foreign objects in toilets,” Soqapa said.
He further pointed out that some businesses benefit from the constant sewer blockages. “There are dubious businessmen who block these drains so they can generate money. When a lot of drains are blocked, we are forced to hire additional people, which include these businesses,” according to him.
The councillor additionally touched on the sewer system’s infrastructure, which is a major concern. “We have identified some sewage systems where blockages keep on reoccurring. This is due to a lack of maintenance as the infrastructure is worn out.”
However, he says they are working on finding a long-term solution to the reoccurring blockages.
“We have tasked the engineering department to find mechanisms to this problem. Therefore we will be placing steel safety nets in the manholes and water. We are looking at replacing the lids with the current technology system, which means the lids can only be opened via Bluetooth,” Vusi concluded.
Clement Matroos
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