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By: Lauren Human

The sewage systems of Nelson Mandela Bay are under pressure! The problems dogging the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality’s sewerage system is the illegal dumping of objects into the sewer system, theft of manhole covers and residents who are illegally discharging their stormwater (gutter water) into the city’s sewers.

Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality Assistant Director in the Waster Water Conveyance Division, Amsha Muthayan, says that the city’s sewage infrastructure is buckling under the pressure due to constant blockages. These blockages, Muthayan says, is a direct cause of objects that get stuck in the pipelines, and also residents who are diverting their stormwater drainage systems to fow into the sewage system.

The Municipality spends approximately R1.8 million per year on replacing manhole covers that are stolen.

“We fnd the weirdest objects in the pipelines, at times we have even found live animals dumped in sewer manholes,” said Muthayan.

The wastewater that is fushed down toilets travels via a drainage system on residential properties that then link up to a sewer connection, then travels through sewer pipelines to pump stations and ultimately ending up in a waste water treatment works.

According to Muthayan, the Municipality installs its sewage pipelines in low lying areas, making use of a gravity system and not using the pressurised pipeline system (pump-station). “The reason we make use of the gravity system is because operational costs are less than the pressurised system and as a result the residents’ tariffs for sanitation does not increase drastically,” said Muthayan.

Muthayan said stormwater is rainwater, while sewage is all other waste water, and that they are channelled through separate systems.

“It is not that the Municipality has poor infrastructure, but rather our systems cannot cope with the illegal stormwater entering the system,” she said.

Muthayan refers residents to the Stormwater Bylaw which spells out exactly how residents can dispose of their stormwater. This bylaw is available on themunicipal website at HYPERLINK “http:// www.nelsonmandelabay.gov.za” www.nelsonmandelabay.gov. za.

Muthayan reveals that a sewerage master plan is in place to prepare the city to cope with the additional fow for the current development and also for the development taking place over the next 10 years.

Portfolio Chairperson for Infrastructure & Engineering, Cllr Andile Mfunda, said there are plans in place for the Public Health Directorate and the Infrastructure & Engineering Directorate to work together to stop illegal dumping, especially into the municipal sewers.

“We need to educate our communities about the problems that arise from the dumping of objects into the drainage system. It is crucial that they understand why they cannot dump things into our sewerage system, because the result will be sewage spills that will affect them,” said Cllr Mfunda.

He stressed that the Municipality cannot be spending so much money on unblocking drains when the money could instead be used to extend the city’s infrastructure to improve the stormwater and sewage infrastructure systems.

Municipal workers spend much of their time unblocking drains in the city, which is often caused by stolen manholes, people dumping objects into these open drains and the illegal release of stormwater into the sewage system. Picture: Riaan Labuschagne

CITY’S SEWAGE SYSTEM UNDER PRESSURE DUE TO EXCALATION IN BLOCKED DRAINS

28 UBUNTU COMMUNITY MAGAZINE MARCH I APRIL 2012