Disa River Pump Station exposed due to ongoing misuse of sewer network
28 November 2024
With the festive season fast approaching, the City urges residents to help prevent sewer blockages by disposing of waste responsibly. Last year between 15 December 2023 and 15 January 2024, Cape Town recorded over 8 400 sewer blockages, which not only strained infrastructure, but also caused major inconveniences for residents and visitors, posing health risks where incidents occurred.
Sewer networks and pump stations are designed to channel waste to the nearest Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW). However, flushing foreign items like condoms, earbuds, wet wipes, rags, plastics, nappies, and cotton swabs away, often leads to blockages and mechanical failures at pump stations, resulting in sewer overflows.
Recently, the Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien joined the Hout Bay Catchment Management Forum, to see the extent of the problem that solid waste - caught by the mechanical screens at the Disa River Pump Station in Hout Bay - is causing.
About the Disa River Pump Station
The Disa River Pump Station is situated in Princess Road, Hout Bay and operates at a capacity of 160 litres per second. It is equipped with mechanical screens to help protect sewer infrastructure from damage by objects such as rags, plastics and sanitary items, preventing these from coursing through the wastewater treatment system.
Unfortunately, the station has experienced failures due to excessive solid waste clogging components. Once the system malfunctions, it leads to overflows spilling into the Disa River and nearby Hout Bay Beach.
‘Water and Sanitation staff manually scrape away trapped rags, pads/ tampons, wet wipes and other solid waste from the pump station's screens. At the current rate at which the screen fills up, this needs to be done twice a day.
‘Seeing the volumes of waste at Disa River Pump Station is proof that residents are not mindful of how detrimental it is to flush unnatural waste down the toilet. It immediately compromises the sewer system's performance by causing blockages, pipe bursts and sewer spills further down the network,’ said Councillor Badroodien.
Initiatives to improve water quality in the Disa River
The City recently completed the Hout Bay Comprehensive Study, which identified key pollution sources with recommendations on possible interventions, including:
- Short-term solutions (“quick wins"):
- Installing a silt/litter trap at Victoria Bridge
- Modifying the stormwater outlet to increase pressure on two 100mm diversion pipes
- Regularly cleaning the sewer line parallel to the Hout Bay River
- Installing an uninterruptible power supply (UPS) at the Victoria Road low-flow diversion pump station
- Adding sediment forebays in stormwater ponds
- Placing orange solid waste bins on poles, with plans to expand this initiative in Imizamo Yethu (IY)
- Repairing the low-flow diversion at the IY Clinic
- Removing illegal sewer-to-stormwater connections in IY
- Potential long-term interventions (implemented in collaboration with various City departments to reduce pollution entering the river and the sea):
- Hinged sewer (and stormwater) manhole covers
- Retrofitted litter screens in manholes
- Illegal sewer to stormwater cross-connections
- Additional full-flush toilets
- Temporary greywater decanting networks
- Litter socks
- Kerb inlet litter screens
- Solid waste skips
- Recycling swop shops
The proposed long-term interventions must still be reviewed and assessed with the relevant City departments, concerning viability and possibly implementation.
'Residents have a major part to play in helping to prevent sewer overflows onto beaches. Restaurants need to dispose of fats legally without clogging kitchen sinks or dumping excess into manholes. Both locals and tourists also need to remember to dispose of household waste responsibly by sorting, recycling and using bins to throw away used cosmetic or personal hygiene products.
'The festive season is a time for celebration, relaxation, and enjoying Cape Town's beautiful environment. Sewer overflows ruin the experience by creating foul smells, attracting pests, and making common areas unsightly. Only three 'P's' belong in our sewer system: pee, poo and paper,' said Councillor Zahid Badroodien.
For more tips, visit www.capetown.gov.za/blocked-sewers.
End
Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
