#DurbanStorm lessons: Drains are not dustbins
City of Durban blames pollution for clogging the stormwater network during #DurbanStorm. City of Durban blames pollution for clogging the stormwater network during #DurbanStorm.
DURBAN - The eThekwini Municipality has appealed to the members of the public to stop dumping rubbish on the streets and in city drains inorder to curb stormwater drain blockages.
The city said the dumping of rubbish caused infrastructural damage and worsened the city's ability to cope with heavy rain. On Tuesday, the south of Durban encountered more than 100mm of rain which saw city roads flooded. Many of the city’s sewerage and stormwater drains were found to be clogged up during Tuesday’s heavy rain which battered KwaZulu-Natal, the city said.
“Pollution has negatively contributed to the functioning of the stormwater network resulting to flooding of roads,” said the eThekwini spokesperson Tozi Mthethwa.
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This is Isipingo, South Durban.
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The municipality maintains over 7500 kilometres of sewers, 280 sewage pump stations and 27 wastewater treatment facilities.
“The public’s blatant disregard for the environment and littering appears to be the cause of most of the problems that lead to the malfunctioning of sewers,” Mthethwa added.
She sad the city had various interventions in place to address this issue and these comprised of both educational drives and technical engineering solutions.
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“The pollution issue is one that needs to be addressed by residents themselves. While the city makes every effort to keep our city clean, there is no amount of cleaning and policing that can deal with litter if we, as residents, do not change our behaviour on waste management. Pollution and environmental degradation are our biggest challenges,” Mthethwa emphasised.