Cape Townians who have raised concerns about the quality of water were spot on.
Some of the concerns were raised by residents, but others by experts such as Dr Joe Barnes, who claimed sewage easily makes it into upmarket Hout Bay’s beach.
A resident took to social media to say the Diep River has changed its name to reflect the amount of sewage, and its deteriorating quality of water.
Residents said Cape Town needs companies to release live sewage spills.
In addition, civil society groups who took action against the City this year, for polluted water sources, this includes the Noordhoek Environment Action Group as well as the Soet River Forum.
The Camps Bay Marina wanted the City investigated to check compliance with standards to protect a Marine Protected Area.
Earlier this year, the City’s Zahid Badroodien, announced the City’s plan to constantly evaluate the health of aquatic River systems, by first assessing ecological indicators.
He said the City has SASS5 qualified water practitioners with a background in Environmental and Water Science, conservation biology and Aquatic ecology.
But a report released by the City of Cape Town today, Tuesday afternoon, shows some of the City’s water bodies have high nutrients such as high levels of phosphorus and nitrogen.
These excessive amounts of chemicals lead to plant growth that complicates management and causes eutrophic conditions, which make the water less suitable for use.
In addition, the report confirms sewage contamination remains a serious concern, both to public health and the environment.
Solid waste and illegal dumping also pose a challenge in some areas of the Mother City.
“In many areas, solid waste is dumped illegally in rivers or next to rivers or stormwater systems in open spaces. This waste finds its way into rivers and the resultant pollutants can have negative impacts on aquatic ecosystems and cause maintenance issues in the stormwater system.”
Now the City said it’s going to take five projects amounting to an estimated R2 billion, to improve inland water quality.
This will begin with extensions and upgrades at wastewater treatment works (WWTWs), to the tune of R1 billion towards projects aimed at preventing sewer overflows, such as pump station upgrades, sewer cleaning and replacement programmes.
The Mayor’s Priority Programme for Sanitation and Inland Water Quality aims to reduce pollution in Cape Town’s waterways while improving aquatic ecosystem health.
The Liveable Urban Waterways Programme focuses on rehabilitating waterways to foster biodiversity, recreational opportunities, and community involvement.
Zahid Badroodien, said “improving inland water quality is everyone’s business. The City’s initiatives are a testament that we are committed to addressing water quality challenges and investing in our sewer infrastructure, but residents also have a part to play in preventing pollution.
We appeal to all communities to support these efforts by properly disposing of their waste, reporting sewage overflows and protecting our water resources.”
To download the Annual Inland Water Quality Summary Report or the full technical report, visit: capetown.gov.za/Explore and enjoy/nature-and-outdoors/rivers-and-wetlands/cape-towns-rivers-and-wetlands