Sewage spill saga continues

Raw sewage flowing into the Bloubank Spruit is the fault of Mogale City’s water services authority.

This is according to Wisane Mavasa, spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), who says that poor operation and maintenance lie at the heart of the problems with the Percy Stewart Waste Water Treatment Works (PSWWTW).

“Failure to efficiently operate and maintain the plant is leading to partially treated effluent being discharged into the environment,” says Mavasa.

This even though funding was provided to the municipality to fix the plant. Mavasa says that R8 million of the R200 million allocated funds to this project was ‘diverted’ to another project without the approval of the DWS.

“This may have contributed to the identified problem not being resolved. Failure to pre-treat industrial waste with high fat content, due to the Gelita pre-treatment plant not working, means that raw water with high fat content and screenings flows straight to the Sterkfontein and Krugersdorp line to the inlet of the works.

“This results in fats, solids and grit accumulation, which blocks the channel and pushes the wastewater back. It leads to manhole overflows, blockages, and pollution.”

Mavasa says that the primary settling tank and biofilters are also not functioning optimally resulting in excessive sludge accumulation. In addition, the PSWWTW is not chlorinating.

Criminal charges have been laid against the Mogale City Local Municipality (MCLM), and according to Mavasa, the plan for now is to ‘make the polluter pay’.

“The case is still being investigated by authorities,” says Mavasa.

• Also read: Bloubank Spruit: An ecological disaster

In the meanwhile, residents and businesses in Munsieville and along the Bloubank Spruit still have to cope with the high levels of pollution and the effects thereof daily.

The Roodepoort Northsider approached MCLM for comment on the pollution as well as its effect downstream.

According to the head of corporate communications at the MCLM, Adrian Amod, rumours and reports suggesting that the R200 million granted to Mogale City by the DWS has been misappropriated, are untrue.

“The DWS did indeed grant the municipality R200 million toward the required maintenance, upgrades, and repairs to three wastewater treatment plants. These are the Flip Human, Magaliesberg, and the Percy Stewart plant, as well as their connecting water infrastructure.

“The funds were used on these plants, as well as the replacement of aged water pipelines, the extension of bulk water lines, connection of rural communities, water refurbishment, etc.

“Just over R189 million has been budgeted, with just under R150 million having already been spent on these projects.”

The municipality acknowledges that the PSWWTW is not yet operating at full capacity, but insists that, according to last year’s Green Drop water assessment, the municipality scored 65%.

Amod says that consultants have been appointed for work at the Munsieville pump station to try and address pollution in the Bloubank Spruit.

“Work has commenced to empty the pump chamber. Unfortunately, they have had to block off the sewer pipeline outside the station to make way for trucks to empty the sump and chamber, and while we acknowledge that this is unpleasant for residents, it is the only way to gain access for work to be done.”

Amod says that consultants had until March 18 to hand in their rates for approval by the municipality.

According to AMD Monitoring Forum spokesperson, Trevor Brough, he hopes to see some positive action from Mogale City. “I am carefully optimistic,” he says. “I will be out on my usual rounds in the coming weeks, and it would be nice to see some work actually getting done to relieve the pressure on the people and the ecosystems that are being affected by the pollution stemming from the faulty infrastructure of Mogale City.