When smelly water from the other side of the fence became a problem
Greeting Steemit Family
There are some situations you try to tolerate for some time, hoping things will get better, but at one point, you just realize that enough is enough. Living peacefully in your own house is something everybody wants, but it becomes difficult when something from the next compound starts affecting your comfort and even your health.
A few weeks ago, my wife and I started noticing water flowing close to our fence. At first, I did not pay much attention to it because sometimes water can come from rain or small drainage around the compound. But this one looked different. It was not normal. The water kept appearing even when there was no rain, and the worst part was the smell.
The smell alone was enough to make anyone uncomfortable. You know that kind of smell that immediately tells you something is wrong? That was exactly what we were experiencing. Standing around that area became difficult, and each time I passed there, I felt disturbed. What made me more worried was the fact that we did not pass any water pipe around that section of our compound. So where was the water coming from?
Instead of assuming things, I decided to go to the other side of the fence to see for myself. Sometimes, before speaking or complaining, it is better to understand the source of the problem. To my surprise, I noticed what looked like a septic tank not too far from the fence line. Immediately, many thoughts started running through my head.
Anybody who knows Limbe understands that the water table here is high. This means that when building septic tanks, people need to be very careful and make sure proper work is done. If not, things can go wrong very fast. A poorly constructed or overflowing septic tank can become a serious environmental and health issue for neighbours. At that moment, I became even more uncomfortable because the water flowing toward our side already smelled bad. The possibility that this could be wastewater from a septic system was not something I wanted to ignore.
I informed the caretaker since the landlord was not around. I explained the situation and hoped something would be done quickly because this was not the type of problem anybody should delay. Unfortunately, days passed, and nothing changed. The water continued flowing. The smell continued.
Honestly, that part frustrated me. Sometimes, what hurts more is not even the problem itself but the reluctant attitude of people handling the matter. When something concerns hygiene and people’s living environment, quick action should be taken. For water to be constantly flowing from that area, it simply raised questions. Was the septic tank full? Was it poorly done from the beginning? Whatever the case, something clearly was not right.
Since I could not continue waiting and exposing my family to such discomfort, I decided to take matters into my own hands. The little concrete section I had around that place had to be broken. We then placed a plastic sheet before pouring fresh concrete to reinforce that side properly. My intention was simple: stop the smelly water from flowing into our section and reduce the discomfort around the house. Thankfully, after reinforcing our section, the water stopped crossing into our side.
That alone gave me some relief. Though the problem on the other side may still exist, at least I managed to protect my immediate environment while waiting for a proper solution. Funny enough, after all the hard work and fresh concrete pouring, domestic birds decided to decorate the place with their tiny footprints before it dried completely. Seeing those little steps somehow gave me a reason to smile after all the frustration.
This whole experience reminded me that sometimes we cannot sit and wait forever for others to solve problems that directly affect us. While neighbours and caretakers need to act responsibly, there are moments when protecting your own environment becomes necessary. At the end of the day, no one should have to live beside smelly wastewater and pretend everything is normal. Clean surroundings matter, and proper building practices matter too.
Cheers
Thanks for dropping by
@fombae