The City of Cape Town is launching an ambitious R1,3 billion upgrade of the Macassar Wastewater Treatment Works that will revolutionise the area’s infrastructure and create significant local employment opportunities.
The extensive upgrade will more than double the plant’s treatment capacity from 34 million litres per day to 80 million litres per day, addressing population growth needs for the next 20 years.
The upgrade features cutting-edge, energy-efficient infrastructure designed to address current capacity constraints, reduce energy consumption, and dramatically improve the Eerste River’s inland water quality.
Key improvements include new inlet works with enhanced screening, flow balancing systems, primary sedimentation, biological reactors with full nutrient removal, UV and chlorine disinfection, anaerobic digesters, combined heat and power installation, and comprehensive treatment facilities.
The current phase, which forms part of the civil project, includes upgrading the existing process trains to optimise treatment processes, significantly improve effluent quality, and ensure compliance with environmental licence standards.
Civil works on the improvement project are expected to start in January next year, once the contractor is appointed, a statement from the City confirmed.Residents and stakeholders can learn about the project during an information session at the Macassar New Civic Centre in Burg Street this Thursday (27 November) from 16:00 to 19:00.
“I want to encourage residents of Macassar and surrounding areas to attend the Open Day to learn about this major R1,3 billion upgrade and discover potential job opportunities for local residents,” implored Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee member for Water and Sanitation.
The complete infrastructure overhaul includes: new inlet works with enhanced screening and degritting; flow balancing and primary sedimentation systems; new biological reactors with full nutrient removal; secondary settling tanks and UV/chlorine disinfection; refurbished maturation ponds and gravity sludge thickeners; anaerobic digesters and combined heat and power installation; dewatering facilities and treated storage effluent pump stations.
It also includes comprehensive building and pipework infrastructure installation.
