Picture: Joseph Maruping in front of his overflowed yard
By OBAKENG MAJE
The family of Maruping in Lokgabeng village, near Taung said, it lives in fear that, one day their house might be washed away. This comes after the water overflowed into their yard after a rainfall.
Joseph Maruping (67) said the overflow of water is caused by the topography of their area and how the roadway was designed. Maruping said the water comes from Leropong until it reaches their yards.
“Even though there are culverts, they are clogged because of soil. So, they serve no purpose because they are not maintained. We have urged the Greater Taung Local Municipality (GTLM) to address this matter and ensure that, there is stormwater that is conveyed along the tarred road with curb and gutter. However, our call fell on deaf ears.
“The water was supposed to go through into the storm sewer system through inlets or catch basins. The catch basin will take the water off the street and into the storm sewer pipe under the bridge. However, nothing has happened,” he said.
Maruping further said the culvert that was installed by the municipality, is too small too. He added that, when there are rainstorms, the water overflows into their yards and they are forced to stay indoors, which affects their livelihoods.
“What is disheartening is that, this is happening every year. We call on our municipality to take our concerns into consideration, instead of ignoring us. They kept on promising to come and address this matter year in and year out with no action.
“The water that overflows into our yard also enters into our borehole. You can imagine how hazardous the situation might be. We do not know if that water is contaminated or not. So, we might drink the water from the borehole, only to find out that it is contaminated,” said Maruping.
He said their neighbour has since relocated due to the situation. Maruping said if it was up to them, they would have relocated a long time ago, but they have no due to financial constraints as they are pensioners.
South African National Civic Organisation (SANCO) deputy regional secretary in the Dr Ruth Segomotsi Mompati region, Mothohela Dikhai shared the same sentiments. Dikhai said they are concerned about heavy rains that continue to pour in and affect the residents in the process.
“What we have realised is that the affected people are constantly living in fear. Last night, they hardly slept due to the situation they found themselves in. So, we urge the municipality to act swiftly and address this matter.
“The problem is how the tarred road that links Mokassa and Lokgabeng was constructed. No drainage system can redirect water to avoid overflowing into the residents’ yards. We urge the municipality to assist by installing big culverts,” he said.
Meanwhile, the Member of the Mayoral Committee (MMC) for Infrastructure at the municipality, Itumeleng Maribe said: “As the municipality, we are aware of the predicament the Maruping family finds itself in. We have installed a culvert there, but it seems the culvert serves no purpose.
“However, we have engaged the District Director of North West Public Works and Roads for assistance. So, he agreed to assemble a team to assess the situation before installing the bigger culvert that will redirect water.”
The Guardian 