Karin Spottiswoode from the Friends of Kloofendal organisation is very concerned about the repeated sewerage blockages in the Kloofendal area.
She said that not everybody realises exactly what happens to the content that is flushed down toilets, and explained, “Everything flushed down will go down into the sewerage pipes on your property, before making its way downhill to the sewerage plant. When a blockage occurs along the way, the sewage will make its way out through the nearest up-stream manhole, spread out, and flow into the nearest stream. What makes this situation worse, is that people tend not to report the matter to Johannesburg Water (JW), relying on the rain to wash the resulting mess away.”
She added that the biggest causes of these blockages are wet wipes, female sanitary products and pieces of plastic being flushed down the toilet. “The community needs to be educated about what they can and cannot flush down the toilet. Toilet paper is designed to come apart along the way, which usually helps to prevent blockages, but many of the ‘flushable’ wet wipes do not,” she said.
Her major concern about the ongoing and repeated blockages occurring in the reserve, is the fact that the sewage flows directly into the Crocodile River that flows through the Walter Sisulu National Botanical Garden.
“The easiest way to prevent this from becoming a bigger problem is to report a sewerage or water leak immediately. This ensures a speedy reaction from JW, and the blockages are then cleared,” she said.
Karin urged the community to log a call on 011 688 1619 or via email (customer@jwater.org.za), and said, “As soon as you receive a reference number, pass it on to your local ward councillor, who will then escalate the matter to ensure the leak is fixed within 24 hours. But, you need to follow up by checking if the leak is fixed, and if you find it is not, contact JW and your councillor again.”
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