Help reduce sewer overflows this winter – report missing or broken manhole covers
27 June 2023
With winter in full swing and more rain expected, the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is calling on residents to help prevent sewer overflows by safeguarding sewer drain covers, which is an important part of our infrastructure.
About sewer drain manhole covers: - They are usually round and located in the middle of a road, and sometimes on properties.
- They are a crucial part of the Water and Sanitation Directorate's infrastructure that helps to control the flow of sewage through the sewer pipes, and reduces incidents of overflows into the streets.
- The public must not remove these covers.
- Only staff authorised by the City can open these drains for work purposes such as clearing blockages in the pipes.
- Report missing or broken covers to one of the City's channels below so they can be replaced.
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The Directorate has spent about R914 252 on replacing more than 3 625 sewer drain manhole covers across Cape Town between July 2022 and May 2023. This figure has decreased compared to the 5 583 manhole covers reported missing or stolen in the 2021/2022 financial year.
'Unfortunately, sewer drain covers are often stolen or broken, putting our roads and residents at risk. The combined impact of rain that enters the sewer pipes via open drains or illegal stormwater to sewer connections, plus illegal dumping into the pipes which causes blockages, all contribute to sewer overflows. This is because waste that gets into the system, via flushing or pouring down drains and sinks, already reduces the capacity of the sewer pipes to convey wastewater and damages infrastructure like pump stations, resulting in overflows and flooding.
'These open drains also pose a massive safety risk to road users and pedestrians, especially when heavy rains have filled the holes and they can't be seen. This requires the City to spend millions of rand to replace missing manhole covers throughout Cape Town. We need your help to stop this. Please also report missing and broken sewer drain covers to the City so they can be replaced,' said Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien
Report theft/vandalism to be eligible for a reward
Various City efforts are under way to help address theft and vandalism and its impact. This includes offering a reward up to R5 000 for information leading to the arrest of a suspected manhole cover thief or recovery of City property.
Provide information on the whereabouts of stolen property or a suspected offender, by calling 0800 11 00 77.
If your confidential information leads to an arrest or recovery of stolen property by the City's Law Enforcement or Metro Police, you can get a reward of up to R5 000.
Log water and sanitation problems or service requests
Report vandalism damage, sewer blockages, missing drain covers, burst pipes, leaks and water wastage using one of the following channels (Please provide the street address, and get a reference number):
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Published by:
City of Cape Town, Media Office
