Vandalism reason for blocked sewer

MOSSEL BAY NEWS - The Mossel Bay municipality has had to work non-stop since Sunday, 5 August to clear a blockage that caused a sewage spill in Asla. What made this blockage such a challenge is that it was clearly the result of a deliberate act of vandalism intended to cause damage.

Not only were tyres and large rocks removed from the sewer line, but the size of the debris indicates that it could not have landed in the sewage system by accident.

The debris causing the blockage had to be worked into the manholes, where municipal employees had to dig it out. The hose and nozzle of the high pressure jetting machine got stuck during the attempts to unblock the sewage line, and a high pressure jetting machine and sewer vacuum truck had to be hired to assist with the clearing of this blockage.

This resulted in unnecessary expense for the municipality and discomfort for the surrounding community who had to suffer the stench of the sewage overflow.

"We call on community leaders and residents to prevent this kind of vandalism. Every effort was made to unblock the pipelines and to disinfect the areas," said the director of technical services, Mr Dick Naidoo.

There is no way that stones of this size could have landed in the sewer line by accident.