The DA in uMgungundlovu is appealing to Umgeni-uThukela Water and uMgungundlovu District to provide a plan to fix the impact of load-shedding on the York Road pump station that is posing a health hazard.
Since the onset of load-shedding there have been frequent overflows of raw sewage from this pump station in Howick. It is near the Umngeni river and the overflows run directly into the river.
This has been brought up many times directly to Umgeni Water, now Umngeni-uThukela Water and through uMgungundlovu municipality. The answer is always that they will sort something out. Now that this situation is running into years, not just months, we had hoped that something would have been done by now. The idea of a generator at the site has been mentioned, but not provided, as security is a risk. The other idea was a dam, to catch the sewage before it reached the river. This has not materialised.
It is difficult not to arrive at the conclusion that the responsible body simply does not consider this a serious matter.
Residents along the river say that they are aware of a decline in wildlife as a result of the sewage.
There are people who live downstream from the site who use the river for water. The river runs through Howick, over the Howick Falls and through the Umgeni Valley nature reserve, into Albert Falls. All these areas are being contaminated by sewage all the way to the coast. This is a health and environmental disaster.