Cape Town - The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has made another bizarre finding while unblocking a sewerage system in Mfuleni and Lavender Hill.
A mattress and a bucket of forks and teaspoons were discovered on June 21.
Water and Sanitation Mayco member Zahid Badroodien warned residents to be aware of what they do with their waste.
Other items have included tyres, rags, clothes, car parts, and even a television.
“While the City is taking proactive measures to help reduce overflows, we also appeal to residents and community leaders to use the resources on the City’s website to join in efforts to raise awareness of this issue, and what all of us can do to prevent sewer blockages.
“The reality is the City cannot practically police what residents flush down the toilet or wash down their sinks, or put into drains, so it is up to communities to take responsibility. Let us work together to prevent sewer blockages,” Badroodien said.
In the past financial year, the City has reportedly spent about
R417 million to help reduce and tackle blockages in the sewer systems. This includes the City’s Winter Preparedness Programme to jet-clean the sewer pipelines and reactive cleaning costs to clear sewer blockages as a result of illegal dumping and misuse of the sewer system.
The City’s Water and Sanitation teams clear and clean more than 300 sewer blockages and overflows a day as a result of this problem.
About 85% of these cases are a result of the misuse of the sewer system, where items such as rags, feminine hygiene products, builders’ rubble, litter, fats and oils, and, most recently, a mattress and cutlery, are illegally dumped into manholes or enter the system via sinks or by being flushed down toilets, the City reported.
To report water and sanitation-related service requests such as a sewer overflow, one can make use of the following channels: WhatsApp 060 018 1505; Online: www.capetown.gov.za/servicerequests or e-mail [email protected] and SMS 31373 (maximum 160 characters. Standard rates apply; Call 0860 103 089.
Visit a City walk-in centre (see www.capetown.gov.za/facilities to find the one closest to you).