By Buhle Andisiwe Made
Grocott’s Mail reported in April this year that Risoso Libi and her family in Phumlani in Extension Two, Makhanda, were living with a giant sewage leak at the bottom of their garden. With a municipal drain unluckily located inside her yard, whenever the sewage pipes in the area become blocked, sewage erupts out of the manhole cover and overflows through Libi’s garden.
Seven months later, not much has changed. The Libi family are still suffering as they have been since they moved into their home in 2020. Those elected to serve and assist them are quiet during these moments. “Nothing has changed; just the other day, the drain overflowed,” Libi told Grocott’s Mail.
Peter Sturrock, a retired Makhanda engineer, said living with a long-term sewage leak is extremely hazardous. “First and foremost, the danger is the health issue and the risk of contracting waterborne diseases such as cholera and typhoid, which can be fatal for adults and even more so for infants,” Sturrock said, adding that a sewage leak would be immensely detrimental to the affected residents’ dignity and well-being. A sewage leak results in an “effective reduction of usable yard space, never mind the permanent odour,” he said.
Libi says these days, she needs to keep her doors and windows closed tightly to prevent the stench from entering her home. River Rescue’s Helen Holleman sympathised with Libi’s plight. “Nobody would like to live in a toilet, and that’s essentially what is happening here,” said Holleman, adding that the Libi family could be exposed to Diarrhoea, Dysentery, Campylobacter and Brucellosis. “It is a disaster waiting to happen,” she said.
