Arpp and Root Funeral Home

The aim of the Aller River project is to restore the condition of the rivers across the eThekwini Municipality.The project team has recognised that issues will arise that will be hard to solve.“This realisation prompted meetings with heads of department and directors of Durban Solid Waste and eThekwini Water Services.Since those meetings, the ARPP team has had a number of follow-up interactions in November with relevant area roleplayers and top of the list of problems are contamination from sewer infrastructure, and many forms of litter and illegal dumping,” said project manager, Nick Swan.ALSO READ: Eco champs determined to make Aller River project a successDuring November, the eco-champs took the eThekwini Waste Water Network Area acting superintendent, Lindani Thusi, to two manhole spillage hotspots.The first spillage is in manhole 3A6, Indunduma, Clermont, where a shack resident was fed-up with the raw sewage which frequently flooded his doorstep.Repair teams identified the blockage materials as sand, stone and ‘towels’.ALSO READ: River rehabilitation project launchedThe second hot-spot is about 400 metres upstream of the 3A6 manhole.Swan said these issues are not easy to solve and are complicated further by the challenges of having to deal with cable thieves who destroy manholes by using them as work benches and the increase in illegal dumping.“So while the project is sound, is participative and has been well accepted by both the authorities and the residents, it is now ‘hitting’ the hard, intractable issues, which requires engagement with the complex root causes of poor river health.”Do you want to receive news alerts via WhatsApp? Send us a WhatsApp message (not an sms) with your name and surname (ONLY) to 060 532 5409.You can also join the conversation on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.PLEASE NOTE: If you have signed up for our news alerts you need to save the Highway Mail WhatsApp number as a contact to your phone, otherwise you will not receive our alerts... (Highway Mail)