Durban — Amanzimtoti businesses and residents concerned about the illegal dumping in the Athlone Park area have appealed to the eThekwini Municipality to act.
Athlone Park resident, Mohammed Yusuf Carrim, said the dumping of waste on Nyathi Road, Amanzimtoti, south of Durban, has attracted vagrants who have set up home underneath the N2 bridge.
Carrim said the dumping was affecting his packaging supply store business. The homeless also start fires with the waste, he said.
Other issues include: roads being in terrible condition with rubble and garden refuse everywhere; and truck drivers complaining of damages incurred to vehicles.
Carrim claimed there were no eThekwini services that visited the road which allowed perpetrators to dump freely.
Carrim also raised the issue of high water levels under the bridge caused by the waste that was difficult for a normal bakkie to drive over.
Carrim said he reached out to the municipality regarding the illegal dumping, but has not received assistance.
Carrim said these actions have been taking place within view of the DSW site and no actions have been taken to stop these illegal acts.
He has sent emails to the municipality for more than a year. On March 3 last year, he raised this same issue in an email and received no assistance.
“Unfortunately I have zero response. When I tried contacting the eThekwini Municipality, I was being pushed to different departments, but with no positive response,” said Carrim.
In Carrim’s email to the municipality, he noted that the land pollution is harmful to the environment and has degraded the quality of the infrastructure, roads etc.
“It has been affecting the businesses located on this road. The illegal dumping taking place in the river is polluting said water source and affecting nearby flora.
“The presence of an overgrown bush has blocked the view of this route from the public road and has served to conceal these transgressions as well as allow these perpetrators to hide within.
“No efforts have been made to maintain the bush either. We have received many complaints including videos and pictures from our suppliers and customers regarding this situation,” said Carrim.
eThekwini Municipality spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the City was working relentlessly to clear all illegal dumps.
“It finds it to be a moving target to other areas in that our communities are not partnering with us.
“We are therefore appealing to members of the media to also play their part by working with the City in educating our communities,” he said.
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Daily News