Following complaints about the discharge of effluent onto Strandfontein beach, the Cape Independent Party (CAPEXIT) has called on the City to take action against the “serious and immediate health risk”.
According to Capexit councillor, Karl Bodin, the City had allowed “raw highly toxic sewage to gush onto Strandfontein beach and False Bay”.
Bodin said there were potential health risks for residents: “The City is pumping raw sewage onto the beach and into False Bay between Strandfontein and Muizenberg. This highly toxic effluent has been flowing into the ocean for decades according to residents. Testing of the sewage has proved that it poses a serious and immediate health risk. City officials have not as yet taken action to immediately prevent this from happening.”
Following a site visit, Bodin said the stench from the water was bad. He said they had had independent testing done at the site.
“The sample taken as the water enters the sea measured 350 000 E. coli organisms per 100 ml water. Both these samples indicate gross pollution with sewage and constitutes a real and immediate danger to health and safety, as well as a serious risk of environmental damage,” said Bodin.
The City, however, said the discharge point referred to by Bodin was a treated discharge pipe for the Mitchells Plain Waste Water Treatment Works (WWTW), which has been in operation since the mid-1970s.
Mayco member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, said the “massive sewage outlet pipe” referred to by Bodin is the discharge point for the Mitchells Plain WWTW.
“This plant is on the City’s Upgrade and Capacity Increase Programme to be completed in 2030/31. This means that the plant will benefit from a capacity upgrade (35 Ml/d to approx. 55 Ml/d). It will also receive an associated upgrade to inlet works, dewatering and disinfection processes.
“Regarding the current treatment process, the facility is a normal conventional activated sludge plant that utilises an extensive maturation pond system for UV disinfection. The facility will also in due course undergo maintenance which will clean up part of the maturation ponds in the next few months and then divert flows to certain ponds to manage the effluent quality.
“The area where the treated outlet discharge is located is remote and not considered a recreational node for swimming. At the site, (is) signage indicating that contact with the treated discharge should be avoided.
We will ensure that additional signage is located to be as clear as possible to people who may pass by,” said Badroodien.
Rethink the Stink director Caroline Marx said: “E Coli levels of 350 000 cfu/100ml indicate that other disease-causing microbes will be present from viruses like hepatitis to fungi to intestinal parasites, representing a real health risk. Why is City Health not acting to protect public health by insisting that the discharge is stopped?
Prevention is better than cure is a basic health principle.”
Cape Times