Durban — The eThekwini Municipality Water and Sanitation Department has laid bare the infrastructure crises the department is facing, with the total budget required to remedy the situation estimated to be above R3 billion.
Executive committee member Yogis Govender said infrastructure was in dire need of urgent remedial action. She said sewage spills had reached epic, unprecedented proportions and eThekwini Municipality had been slow to intervene.
Sewage spills had led to beach closures in Durban. The budget for sanitation repairs was R222 million in the 2021/2022 financial year, and R201.6m in the 2022/2023 year.
In a report before a full council meeting, the department stated that 40 pump stations had been vandalised, 60% of them in the northern area.
Of the pumps vandalised, six had been stolen. A budget has been prioritised to deal with problems at the Umbilo Treatment Works, which was severely affected by floods. A procurement process is under way to appoint consultants for a detailed assessment.
At the La Mercy Pump station, new soft starters were installed and are being commissioned.
In South Beach Road the dry well was flooded and wastewater networks were in the process of implementing a clean-up process to be followed by an assessment of mechanical and electrical equipment.
The Canelands 1,2,3 Pump Station had been vandalised and all mechanical and electrical equipment stolen. At the Sandfields Pump Station, both pumps are out for repairs.
To counteract recurring sewer blockages and for the unblocking of manholes, the department intended to invest in additional equipment, including blockage tracks and jetting machines, and to employ additional staff to cope with the increased infrastructure coverage.
The department also intended to increase the number of depots from the current four to include satellite depots, allowing for quick turnaround times in respect of attending to sewage spillages.
Daily News