CRIMINAL charges will be laid against the Chris Hani District Municipality for allegedly failing to resolve raw sewage spilling into the Great Fish River in Cradock.
This follows after the contractor appointed by the municipality downed tools after working less than a week on the dysfunctional Cradock Waste Water Treatment Works.
The DA’s Midlands constituency leader, Retief Odendaal, has written to the municipal manager to inform him that, should work not have resumed on site early this week, he will be laying criminal charges against him and the municipality, as well as reporting the municipality to the Human Rights Commission.
The municipal manager allegedly failed to respond to queries made by Odendaal yesterday; hence criminal charges will be made.
According to Odendaal, the raw sewage spilling into the river poses a health risk to people in the town and surrounding areas.
“Last week, while at the site, I noted that a contractor was in the process of commencing with the much-needed work to bring the facility back online. It is still unclear what the problem between the municipality and contractor is, but this needs to be resolved as a matter of urgency, as more untreated sewage is again flowing into the Fish River,” Odendaal said.
The non-functioning of the sewerage plant outside of Cradock and the pollution of the Great Fish River have been an enormous problem since Chris Hani District Municipality took away water and sanitation services from the local Inxuba Yethema Municipality.
The spillage not only affects the residents of the town, but the Great Fish River Valley is a big milk and vegetable production area and the many farmers along the river for a huge area below Cradock are also affected by the spillage.
Odendaal has also written to the Minister of Water and Sanitation, Lindiwe Sisulu, informing her of the latest developments.
Odendaal added, “The municipality has failed to deliver and render services to the residents. They had enough time to resolve this issue, which is why the DA is moving ahead with the criminal charges. This is unacceptable.”
The acting municipal manager, Dr Bhekisisa Mthembu, said in a media statement on June 27, that the district plans to change the aeration system to a system that will handle high influent and to accommodate the Cradock aging sewer bulk network that continuously experience spillages.
Mthembu added, “The Cradock Waste Water Treatment works and sewer bulk will be addressed in the coming financial year as a long term strategy. An amount of R4.9 million has been budgeted in this regard to deal with these challenges in a phased approach.”
The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) said in a media statement on June 24, that it is taking legal action to force the Inxuba Yethemba Municipality to stop polluting the Great Fish River.
According to this media statement, the Department also dispatched an Environmental Inspector who found during a routine oversight inspection at the WWTW in Cradock that:
1. The WWTW has completely shut down. There is not a single municipal employee at the plant and the only people present on site, were two security guards;
2. Waste Water continues to flow into the non-functional plant, but is then channelled, untreated, into the Great Fish River;
3. The problems at the plant are mechanical in nature, as most of the pumps and all the brush aerators are dysfunctional;
4. As a result of the WWTW and pump stations being non-operational, raw sewage is also being discharged at different places along the sewer lines, most notably out of manholes.
It is further noted that the Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTW) has appeared to be in this state for a number of weeks now, prior to the recent electricity cuts for non-payment and public unrest.
Chris Hani has had a poor record of sewage problems in Cradock and DWS has issued notices and Directives in the past year for:
. pollution from unfixed sewer blockages,
. Failed sewer pump stations and
. for non-compliance at the WWTW.
