The community came out in numbers last Wednesday (11 October), where a public meeting took place to address the sinkhole “plague” and provide an update on the Montague Gardens Bulk Pipeline Repairs.
Montague Drive has been duped as “a road of terror” by motorists after two sinkholes formed in August, raising havoc for motorists who use this road during their daily commute.
The second sinkhole resulted in a large hole in the roadway approximately 60 metres before the location of the previous incident, which occurred on 21 August.
TygerBurger previously reported (“Sinkhole plague hits Montague Drive”, 20 September) that the City of Cape Town confirmed that ageing infrastructure is the cause of the sinkholes.
Zahid Badroodien, the City’s Mayco member for water and sanitation, said at the meeting that the Montague Gardens Bulk Pipeline has been serving the community for decades.
“But with age comes challenges, and we’ve taken steps to fast-track the repairs to the bulk sewer,” he said.
Badroodien said the Montague Gardens Bulk Sewer faces challenges due to its age and the high sewage volumes it handles.
“Corrosion, induced by sulphuric acid in anaerobic conditions, has been a recurring issue. This, coupled with oxidizing bacteria, moisture, and hydrosulphide gas, has led to pipe deterioration and sewage backflows, causing delays in repairs,” Badroodien explained.
Immediate solutions
A motorist, Irvin Potgieter, welcomed the upgrade, but feels the City should have been more prepared to handle the high sewage volumes.
“This could have been avoided if the City planned an upgrade way before the high volume of the sewage system. Everywhere we look, especially in Dunoon, more and more people are putting up their shacks. What did they (the City) expect was going to happen,” he says fumingly.
He told TygerBurger he is bleeding money in petrol costs after the two sinkholes formed in Montague Drive.
“After the two sinkholes, I decided to never use this road anymore. Yes, I now have to fork out more money for petrol, but rather safe than sorry,” Potgieter said.
Two-pronged approach
The City said they deployed a two-pronged approach to address these ongoing challenges, .
“We’re using a trenchless rehabilitation method, Cured-in-place Pipe Lining, for repairs, limited to pipes up to 1 000 mm in diameter.
“In addition, we’re conducting excavations and point repairs on exposed pipes,” Badroodien explained at the meeting.
For a more extensive and lasting solution, the City will embark on a comprehensive upgrade of the Montague Drive Bulk Sewer.
“This ambitious project involves constructing a new Montague Bulk Sewer Pipeline using innovative micro-tunnelling technology. By early 2025, this 4 km-long sewer line will be operational, diverting sewage and enabling the rehabilitation of the existing Bulk Sewer in Montague Drive. We’re dedicated to resolving these challenges and implementing solutions that promote efficient and environmentally responsible wastewater management.”
