{"id":54324,"date":"2014-03-04T11:15:00","date_gmt":"2014-03-04T09:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/54324\/a-dam-shameordam-in-a-shocking-condition\/"},"modified":"2014-03-04T11:39:05","modified_gmt":"2014-03-04T09:39:05","slug":"a-dam-shameordam-in-a-shocking-condition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2014\/03\/04\/a-dam-shameordam-in-a-shocking-condition\/","title":{"rendered":"A dam shame!"},"content":{"rendered":"

It used to be a place of beauty, where residents of Elsburg could take their families to enjoy an afternoon out.<\/p>\n

But now the Weideman\/Elsburg Dam is in a shocking state of neglect.<\/p>

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The GCN visited the area recently to have a look at the dam and the surrounding park area.<\/p>\n

The dam itself can hardly be seen due to the huge amount of reeds growing in the water.<\/p>

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A resident who contacted the GCN about the area said he is worried about the abundant bird life in the area, as all the reeds are choking the dam, so that soon there will be no water for them.<\/p>\n

“The metro needs to take out some of the reeds, obviously leaving some for the birds to nest in, and make sure the area is maintained,” the resident said.<\/p>\n

He told the GCN that, in days gone by, people could visit the park and sit on benches to enjoy the scenery.<\/p>\n

There was also a playground for children and tennis courts.<\/p>\n

Today, the reality is very different.<\/p>\n

There are no benches, there is litter everywhere (in and out of the dam), there is long grass and overgrown areas where, residents say, people live, the water smells and the general condition of the area is very poor.<\/p>\n

The resident also told the GCN that homeowners are scared to live in the area these days, due to the fact that criminals seem to use the area as a hideout.<\/p>\n

The water is also in a poor condition and the terrible smell of it wafts into people’s homes.<\/p>\n

Residents in the area feel that the metro does not care about Elsburg or the condition of the dam.<\/p>\n

They have contacted the metro on numerous occasions, but nothing is done about the situation.<\/p>\n

In 2011, the GCN published an article about the commencement of a rehabilitation programme at the dam.<\/p>\n

However, it appears that the project never got off the ground properly, or was not maintained on a regular basis.<\/p>\n

The GCN approached the metro for comment regarding the dam and the plans for the area, but at the time of going to press no comment had been received.<\/p>\n