City of Cape Town Link

City gears up for winter by smashing sewer jet-cleaning record

As we approach winter, the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate showcased its ongoing work to prepare the City’s infrastructure for the anticipated rains. Winter typically brings increased stormwater inflow, placing additional pressure on the sewer and river systems.

With more than R78 million allocated to proactively maintain sewer systems, the City’s teams have been hard at work throughout the year, ramping up efforts as the rainy season nears. These initiatives aim to ensure that the City’s sewer pipelines, pump stations, and river systems are in optimal condition to handle the increased volume.By the end of March, the teams had already exceeded their annual cleaning target, clearing 281km of sewer pipelines - smashing the initial 200km target and surpassing the 266km record cleaned in the previous financial year.In launching the Directorate’s Winter mitigation and preparedness campaign, the Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien joined a routine sewer cleaning operation in Sisulu Street, Wallacedene, where the team performed sewer cleaning operations through jetting the sewer lines and used the bucket cleaning method along with cleaning sandtraps. <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/City%20gears%20up%20for%20winter%20by%20smashing%20sewer%20jet-cleaning%20record%202.jpg" alt="" style="width:1082px;" /> </figure>To further enhance service delivery and responsiveness to sewer overflows, the City has invested significantly in technology and infrastructure. This includes:<ul><li><div style="text-align:justify;">23 new sewer response jet-vac trucks, valued at R53 million,</div></li><li><div style="text-align:justify;">Eight new dedicated sewer response teams and</div></li><li><div style="text-align:justify;">The Reactive Incident Management Application (RIMA), a digital platform enabling accurate incident tracking and efficient dispatch of teams.</div></li></ul>These efforts are complemented by major upgrades to bulk sewer infrastructure and pump stations, along with ongoing proactive cleaning programmes.‘Throughout the year, and especially during winter, we need to keep our sewer networks free from blockages. With more water entering the system during rainy months, proactive cleaning helps reduce overflows, ensuring both sewer and river systems can manage the increased volume.‘Our teams remain on high alert and will continue to monitor and respond to any issues that may arise. Extensive work has already taken place across Cape Town and will continue over the coming months,’ said Councillor Badroodien. <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/City%20gears%20up%20for%20winter%20by%20smashing%20sewer%20jet-cleaning%20record%203.jpg" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure> The City manages a vast network of 10 000kms of sewer pipeline and 487 pumpstations amongst other infrastructure, such as sandtraps along the network. Preparations for winter include: • Jetting main sewer pipelines and using combination cleaning units • Clearing sand traps, pump station sumps, and wet wells • Monitoring telemetry alarm systems for pump stations • Rapidly repairing collapsed sewer lines • Replacing broken, stolen, or damaged manhole covers • Repairing electrical and mechanical components on critical pump stations • Inspecting properties for illegal stormwater-to-sewer connections • Educating the public through ongoing campaigns like Bin It, Don’t Block It, which encourages proper waste disposal and discourages flushing inappropriate items down toilets and drainsFlood prevention In addition to the sewer network, the City manages an extensive natural and engineered river system, which includes canals, rivers, culverts, ponds, vleis, and stormwater dams. Proactive work in this area includes: • Cleaning litter traps, ponds, canals, and culverts • Monitoring for potential blockages and dispatching teams where needed to prevent floodingImportant reminder: Keep manhole covers in place During last winter’s heavy rains, images circulated of manhole covers being removed to allow rainwater to enter the sewer system. This behaviour has severe consequences. Stormwater should flow into the stormwater network, not the sewer system. Overloading the sewer network can lead to significant overflows and environmental pollution. Residents are urged not to tamper with manhole covers under any circumstances. <figure class="subtopic-fullsize-img"> <img class="responsive" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Images%202/City%20gears%20up%20for%20winter%20by%20smashing%20sewer%20jet-cleaning%20record%204.jpg" alt="" style="width:2043px;" /> </figure>How residents can help prevent sewer overflows • Only flush human waste and toilet paper. Do not flush wipes, sanitary items, or nappies. • Avoid pouring fats, oils, and leftover food down the drain. • Use official City waste services and avoid dumping waste into drains. • Check your property for illegal stormwater-to-sewer connections and ensure gutters are not feeding into the sewer system. • Report sewer blockages and vandalism as soon as they are noticed. • Dispose of recyclables at the nearest drop-off facility: <a href="https://eur03.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https://resource.capetown.gov.za/documentcentre/Documents/Graphics%2520and%2520educational%2520material/Drop_off%2520%28waste%29.pdf&data=05%7c02%7cSellecca.LangPetersen%40capetown.gov.za%7c744d0f3aa15045fec2cd08dd8173f4e1%7cff731495b3c844b393f86fca8fc5a699%7c0%7c0%7c638809057212465179%7cUnknown%7cTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJFbXB0eU1hcGkiOnRydWUsIlYiOiIwLjAuMDAwMCIsIlAiOiJXaW4zMiIsIkFOIjoiTWFpbCIsIldUIjoyfQ%3D%3D%7c0%7c%7c%7c&sdata=%2BoMMrZ3rmGvYT91H%2Bk1H3kWTQtbk0z77XwkHdbs32xU%3D&reserved=0" target="_blank">Drop_off (waste).pdf (capetown.gov.za)</a>Log a Service Request To report sewer blockages, vandalism, missing manhole covers, burst pipes, leaks, or water wastage, use one of the following channels and be sure to include the street address and request a reference number: • WhatsApp: 060 018 1505 • Online: <a href="http://www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests">www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests</a> • Email: <a href="mailto:water@capetown.gov.za">water@capetown.gov.za</a> • SMS: 31373 (160 characters max. Standard rates apply) • Call: 0860 103 089 • Visit: A City walk-in centre (see facilities near you: <a href="https://www.capetown.gov.za/facilities">https://www.capetown.gov.za/facilities</a> ) End

2025-04-21T22:00:00Z

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