There seems to be no end in sight to the ongoing sewage blockages, overflows and resultant sinkholes, which often lead to the spills into the Lourens River estuary and the ocean in Strand.
Last week municipal workers erected signboards at two separate sections of Strand Beach cautioning beachgoers against the “polluted water”, stating swimmers do so at their own risk.
Beach users and residents have expressed utter frustration, claiming there’s no solid undertaking to seek low-hanging remedies or strategies.
“Some R130 million will be spent on beach-front upgrades, but nothing to improve the water quality or education to flush littering out,” Jammi Hamlin, a concerned beach user, pointed out.
For years he had been engaging council officials, seeking workable solutions which will yield positive outcomes.
“Regardless of the constraints of deteriorating sewage infrastructure that is due for rehabilitation, it appears the City of Cape Town’s stance is that it’s acceptable practice to divert sewage into stormwater, while the problem is repaired. Yet since August last year there have been constant ‘overflows’ without any warning given, except for the occasional signage placed.”
Hamlin also recalled when the matter was raised at a meeting with the mayor last November, where the notice of budget allocations for upgrades was announced (“Mayor addresses locals over ongoing sewer issues in Strand”, DistrictMail & Helderberg Gazette, 16 November 2022).
“Subsequent due diligence indicates the bypass upgrade will not resolve the bottleneck, as three sewage lines connect to pass under the Lourens River, so a smaller diameter will cause back-up rather than trigger overpumping into the Louren River, and problems further upstream,” Hamlin said.
He added there was no proactive initiative from the City to inform the public on health risks and how these would be mitigated upstream, preventing illness among surfers, swimmers and beach goers frequently caused by the contaminants of E.coli and intestinal enterococci that remain unheeded.
“As matters stand, the responsibility of warning residents and visitors to these concerns falls on the concerned community,” Hamlin said.
According to Earle van der Watt of the Strand Surf Lifesaving Club, the safety of club members is of the utmost priority.
“The coaches at Strand lifesaving club are very concerned about the safety of our nippers, as well as the water pollution caused by sewage,” he said. “It is concerning that the issue has been communicated to the highest levels at council, yet instances of raw sewage into the ocean still occur.”
Asked about the latest sewage spills and sinkholes in Strand, Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee member for Water and Sanitation. said the sinkhole in Joubert Street is being repaired after a three-week delay due to operational constraints.
“The Water and Sanitation Directorate has appointed an emergency contractor to conduct point repairs on the Trappies Sewer pipeline in Strand whenever sewer collapses are experienced. The Trappies Sewer pipeline is set to be refurbished to reduce the chance of sewer collapses in future,” he said. “Plans are in place to refurbish approximately 4,1 km of the pipeline at an estimated cost of R100 million. The City is currently finalising the refurbishment contract for sections of the pipeline and, if all goes well, the plan is to have a contractor on the ground at the beginning of 2024. The City ensures that when there is a sewer-related incident, various City departments are activated to respond to it in the shortest possible time-frame.”
The signage was erected last week to warn the public of the polluted water, and swimming and recreational activities in the polluted water were undertaken at one’s own risk, explained Patricia van der Ross, Mayoral Committee member for Community Services and Health.
“A seawater sample was taken on Thursday 24 August and delivered to Scientific Services for microbiology analysis,” she said. “We await the test results.”
The results will indicate whether it is safe to open the area or keep it closed, she related. Should the area need to be kept closed, samples will be taken of the seawater until it is safe according to the Standards for Seawater.
“Generally, (avoidable) blockages remain the primary cause of sewer overflows,” Badroodien acknowledged.
Residents and businesses in Strand are encouraged to attend a public meeting with City officials to discuss water and sanitation matters, including the upgrade and repairs to the Trappies Sewer pipeline as well as the Gordon’s Bay Rising Main.
The meeting will take place at the Strand Town Hall today (Wednesday 6 September) from 18:00 to 19:00.
“We encourage residents and other interested and affected stakeholders who work or do business in Strand to attend the public meeting,” Badroodien implored.
