WATCH: Leaking sewerage drains cause headache for Durban school

Published Jun 2, 2021

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THE eThekwini Municipality is expected to dispatch a jetting team to clear out a sewerage drain that has been leaking for almost three weeks in Sherwood.

Sherwood Primary School principal Dean Unger said pupils and staff had been battling to deal with the stench emanating from the leak.

He said it was a mission for parents and pupils who had to dodge the muck as they enter and leave school each day.

Unger said at least three of the drains in Sandringham Place have been leaking and each time they contacted the municipality they were told that the matter had been dealt with and the file closed.

"Aside from Sherwood Primary School, which has 1000 pupils, there are two private high schools and two nursery schools in the area. We have to worry about Covid and now this," Unger said.

"When we phone, we give the reference numbers from our last call and we are told the matter has been attended to. They tell us that the file has been closed on their system, yet it has been almost a month and there is still sewage on the road," he added.

One of about three overflowing drains outside a Durban Primary School. Picture: Se-Anne Rall

One of about three overflowing drains outside a Durban primary school. Picture: Se-Anne Rall

Meanwhile, a jetting team was sent out to the Westridge area to clean a drain that had been overflowing with sewage since Tuesday morning.

An overflowing drain at the intersection of Bidston Road and King Cetshwayo Highway. Picture: Se-Anne Rall

Wasterwater from an overflowing drain at the intersection of Bidston Road and King Cetshwayo Highway. Picture: Se-Anne Rall

Spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said it should be noted that the City would never win the war against clogging of manholes unless residents changed their behaviour.

"Over 70% of manholes that are clogged are because of alien objects disposed of in our systems and this incident is no exception. We attend to such leaks on numerous occasions and as soon we turn our back, we go back to square one," he said.

He appealed to residents to refrain from using newspapers as toilet paper and to not dispose of items such as tampons, condoms, nappies and oil in the system.

"These are the things that our teams are always retrieving in the event of attending to clogged manholes. The community must do their part or this will continue to be a moving target for the City," he said.

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City of Ethekwini