| City steps up its drive against water pollution in Hout Bay | City steps up its drive against water pollution in Hout Bay | | <img alt="" src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/PublishingImages/Cape%20Town%27s%20rivers%20and%20wetlands%20Header.jpg" style="BORDER:0px solid;" /> | <p><strong><em><span style="font-size:12pt;font-family:"century gothic", sans-serif;">In the light of the City’s waterways and rivers that are often polluted
by solid waste and other forms of chemical and human waste on a regular basis,
the City launched the stormwater “quick wins” interventions project on Friday,
14 October<span style="color:#1f497d;"> 2022</span>. This project compliments
short, medium and long<span style="color:#1f497d;">-</span>term solutions to
this major challenge in Hout Bay and other areas within the city</span></em></strong><br></p> | <p></p><span><p>In March 2022, the City commissioned a comprehensive study with the objective to create a single integrated report by bringing together all investigations, studies and public participation events, and to create an action plan to address these significant pollutant issues. The study is recognised as one of the Mayor's Priority Programmes to improve the City of Cape Town's Stormwater Quality and in this instance, in the Hout Bay catchment.</p><p> </p><p>The quick win interventions are intended to bridge the gap while the short-, medium- and long-term interventions are identified and addressed through this comprehensive study, which is scheduled for completion by June 2023.<br></p>
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<img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/HoutBay2-dropbox.jpg" class="responsive" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure></span><span><p>The City's Catchment, Stormwater and River Management Department has been instrumental in engaging different roleplayers, who teamed up to produce several successful outcomes including litter socks, sediment forebays and litter screens in ponds, lockable lids on sewer manholes, inline and surface low-flow stormwater to sewer diversions works, modifications to existing low-flow diversion works, and a holistic approach to eliminate improper sewer to stormwater connections.</p><p> </p><p>'The event is a launch of the solutions that have been or can be achieved within a period of six months. The lessons learned through this comprehensive study will be implemented where applicable to other catchments in the city. This is catchment management and integrated water resource management in its holistic sense,' said Councillor Siseko Mbandezi, Acting Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.' <br></p>
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<img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/HoutBay3-dropbox.jpg" class="responsive" alt="" style="width:949px;" /> </figure></span><span><p>During the early days of this study, a number of initial field investigations were done, primarily in the area of Imizamo Yethu (IY) and found the following:</p><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Investigating teams documented that the problems are numerous and widespread, where foul water from multiple sources is flowing onto the streets as surface discharge and also directly into the underground stormwater networks</li><li>Solid waste is blocking sewer systems and overflowing into the stormwater systems and that stormwater ponds are contaminated which poses health risks</li></ul><ul style="list-style-type:disc;"><li>Grey water from washing machines, bucket discharging night soil, overtopping sewer manholes and other effluents are discharging directly onto the streets of IY and ultimately onto the main road and stormwater systems (including Hout Bay catchment's precious water courses). The proposed interventions for this challenge will be the reinstatement of strategic stormwater inlets along some of the streets</li><li>Discarding solid waste directly into the sewer manholes which blocks the network, resulting in raw sewage overflowing manholes. Lockable manhole lids are being tested by the City and are being considered here</li><li>Solid waste entering the stormwater network, including the open water courses rivers, wetlands and estuary. The solution is to install litter socks at strategic stormwater outfalls</li><li>Direct connections from sewer systems to stormwater systems and standpipes with washdown aprons connected directly to stormwater structures</li><li>Unvegetated disturbed land and steep topography resulting in scouring and sediments run off.<br></li></ul>
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<img src="https://resource.capetown.gov.za/cityassets/Media%20Centre/HoutBay4-dropbox.jpg" class="responsive" alt="" style="width:1069px;" /> </figure></span><p>'The interventions will go a long way in improving water quality in the natural water courses, and will continue to work towards the ultimate goal of addressing sources of pollution,' said Councillor Mbandezi.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p><strong>CAPTIONS:</strong></p><p><strong>Photo 1: </strong>The City's Water and Sanitation team and stakeholders standing next to a littersock in Houtbay during a site inspection.</p><p><strong>Photo 2: </strong>Acting Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Councillor Siseko Mbandezi.</p><p><strong>Photo 3: </strong>Councillor Mbandezi, City officials and Mbandezi and stakeholders doing a site tour of the inspection chambers. </p><p> </p><p><strong>End</strong></p><p><br></p> | 2022-10-17T22:00:00Z | GP0|#1d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70;L0|#01d539e44-7c8c-4646-887d-386dc1d95d70|City news;GTSet|#62efe227-07aa-45e7-944c-ceebacca891d | | | | | GP0|#c98c1ad1-33dc-4c33-800f-4ec2baf3c997;L0|#0c98c1ad1-33dc-4c33-800f-4ec2baf3c997|Water pollution;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb;GP0|#70fb6ddb-a7e5-482a-9a37-5ae870bb06a2;L0|#070fb6ddb-a7e5-482a-9a37-5ae870bb06a2|Water and Sanitation Department;GTSet|#2e3de6c1-9951-4747-8f53-470629a399bb | 1 | | | | | | | | | | | 0 |
