PICS: Lansdowne Station litter 'a health hazard'
News / 13 March 2019, 12:18pm / Sukaina Ishmail
LITTER around Lansdowne train station where homeless people have erected structures in recent weeks. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency (ANA)
Cape Town - The litter being dumped at Lansdowne Station, Cape Town, and the surrounding area has become a major cause for concern, with residents raising their voices on the matter.
They say waste is left in the open and has serious health implications. They have also raised concerns about the number of homeless people living there who have no access to ablution facilities.
Residents are also concerned petty criminals could hide in the bushes.
The litter and human waste was attracting flies, cockroaches and rats, residents said.
Pollution around Lansdowne station has reached a critical state as it became a haven for homeless people in recent weeks. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency(ANA)
They said parents were reluctant to allow their children to use the station when they travelled to school because they could fall ill if they came into contact with human waste.
If a children fall into the mess they could have serious health problems. They refuse to let their children hang around in the area because it is so dirty and they are in unprotected environments that could potentially lead them to getting robbed.
"The available resources permit vegetation control and clearing of rail reserves twice per annum under favourable weather conditions.
"However, due to finite financial resources, these contracts cannot include 'touch-ups' in-between clearing cycles," said Metrorail Western Cape spokesperson Riana Scott.
"Windy conditions exacerbate littering. Funding proves to be insufficient for the extent of this need and our various customer services managers are encouraged to collaborate with local stakeholders to organise clean-up initiatives in their respective areas."
The litter being dumped at Lansdowne Station, Cape Town, and the surrounding area has become a major cause for concern to the residents. Picture: Armand Hough/African News Agency(ANA)
Mark Kleinschmidt, the councillor for ward 60, which includes Lansdowne, said: "The litter is scattered inside the railway tracks, which are owned by Metrorail.
"I have asked and pleaded with Metrorail's area manager to have them cleaned.
"The cleaning of the railway tracks is a Metrorail responsibility and it is too dangerous for the city's cleaning teams or for me to ask for community help to clean up the tracks."
Kleinschmidt said he was concerned about the number of pests visible in the area, saying these resulted in the spread of disease.
Scott said squatters were removed from the stations on a near-weekly basis with the help of the SAPS, but they were released from custody soon after and the problem continued.
"Facilities are fenced off to the public, only to be broken into and vandalised repeatedly because they have nowhere else to go," said Scott.
LITTER around Lansdowne train station where homeless people have erected structures in recent weeks. Armand Hough African News Agency (ANA)
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