Vandals cause huge spill

Gallery Video

MOSSEL BAY NEWS AND VIDEO - Sizeable debris including pieces of road curb, large rocks and rubble, among other items that were dumped in a sewer manhole, seem to have been the cause of a sewage spill in KwaNonqaba last weekend.

Photographs and a video taken by the Mossel Bay Advertiser at the scene, the parking area at the lowest point of Mayixhale Street on Saturday, show a waterfall of sewage cascading down a slope, onto sports grounds.

Municipal spokersperson Nickey le Roux reports that the municipality became aware of the sewage spill in KwaNonqaba on Friday, 4 September. "The municipal sewer team was despatched to remove the obstruction from the sewer pipeline. All its efforts were unsuccessful."

Le Roux says a contractor with a more powerful high-pressure machine was called to attempt to remove the obstruction. "The contractor worked on both Friday afternoon and Saturday, during the day, but without any success."

Photo gallery: Sewage spill seemingly caused by vandalism

The rain on Saturday worsened the problem as the site was not accessible to the contractor's truck. Further efforts by the municipal sewer team to remove the obstruction on Sunday, 6 September, were unsuccessful.

A high pressure jetting machine had to be used to clear blockages in the sewer line that caused a sewage spill. Houses erected illegally and directly over the sewer line caused the area to be inaccessible to the sewage teams working to clear the obstruction.

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"The blockages were the result of vandalism intended to cause damage. Not only were large rocks, pieces of road curbing, paving, and other rubble removed from the sewer line, but the size of the debris indicated they could not have landed in the sewage system by accident," said Le Roux.

"People living in the area reported that children threw rocks and pieces of concrete into the sewer manhole. Structures built directly over the sewer line caused the area to be inaccessible to both the sewage teams, as well as the contractor called upon to clear the blockage."

On Monday, 7 September, the municipality excavated the position where the obstruction was located and removed a section of the sewer pipeline, removed the obstruction, cleaned the pipeline, and installed a new section of pipeline.

"The municipality appeals to the public to ensure that all sewer lines are kept clear at all times and to no throw rocks and other objects into manholes. Please report stolen manhole covers to the municipality as a matter of urgency," Le Roux concluded.

Debris, including pieces of road curbing and large rocks, blocked a sewage manhole.