Isipingo Hills Ratepayers Association tackles sewage crisis

Residents from the Isipingo Hills area, specifically Nilgiri Crescent, have raised concerns about the design and construction of the Kanku Road Development stormwater and sewage system.

The Isipingo Hills Ratepayers Association (IRRA), in turn, has convened a meeting with several stakeholders such as Human Settlements, residents from the affected households, contractors from the Kanku Road Development, eThekwini officials, and the councillor of Isipingo, in order to address the situation.

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The spokesperson of the IRRA, Mr Sunildutt Ramadhar, explained, “Currently, sewage is being diverted into the stormwater drainage system from the adjacent Kanku Road low-cost housing development that was completed in June 2023. Besides the continuous sewer overflow experienced in the community, the residents’ biggest issue was the terrible stench emanating from the sewage drains and manholes. The drains are constructed alongside residents’ backyards. Due to the number of households built up in the Kanku Road area, the sewage is now overflowing through streets, manholes, and alongside several roads around Kanku Road.”

An agreement was reached and permission was granted by the affected residents to allow the contractor access to their properties so that repair work may begin by the end of the week.

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“An oversight visit by myself and the residents to the other affected areas adjacent was shocking as the sewage overflow from Kanku Road is diverted to stormwater drains. The municipality is neglecting its constitutional obligations, leading to environmental risks. This is due to non-maintenance, lack of human capacity and financial resources, poor water governance and delayed or even a lack of action to address the deposition of sewage,” concluded Ramadhar.