Cape Town - The City of Cape Town said one of its largest capital projects for the past financial year 2019/20 is halfway completed.
In a statement, the city council said its Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) was visited by executive mayor Dan Plato and mayoral committee member of water and waste Alderman Xanthea Limberg to check its progress.
The wastewater treatment works is undergoing a R1.9-billion upgrade and has reached significant milestones this year. This treatment works, once completed, will see a higher quality of treated effluent leaving the plant and will unlock development within the city.
This facility serves communities such as Delft, Mfuleni, Blue Downs and Khayelitsha.
Plato said the wastewater treatment capacity has been a major constraint to development in the catchment for a decade and something the City and the department of water and sanitation have been determined to address.
“The project has had many setbacks but is now fully under way and delivering at pace to unlock future development in the catchment and promote growth in this key part of the city,” Plato said.
The civil work was completed in June and the inlet works, primary settling tanks and pump stations were completed on December 14.
During her visit, Limberg said significant progress has been made since the site was last visited in February, with a budget expenditure standing at 57% of the total value.
She said construction was proceeding in order to complete the project within the shortest possible deadline and deliver the full upgrade by August 2023.
“A new preliminary treatment process and upgrade of the existing treatment modules will ensure that the quality of the treated effluent being discharged meets or exceeds all licence requirements as laid out by the national Department of Water and Sanitation,” Limberg said.
She said the City has prioritised river water quality and increased planned spending for wastewater treatment by R11 billion over the 10 years.
Limberg said this is a key component of the City’s goal of becoming water sensitive by 2040.
“Measurable improvements to the environment are a marathon as opposed to a sprint, and it's critical that work and investment is sustained at this level.
“The City will be embarking on upgrades of similar size in Potsdam in the near future and Athlone thereafter,” Limberg said.
Civil contractors are sourcing labour from the local community, and local enterprises are providing subcontracting services.
Meanwhile, Limberg also revealed that Cape Town’s dam levels have decreased to 94%.
The total capacity of dams supplying the Cape Town metro decreased by 1.6% between 14 December to 20 December 2020, from 95.6% the previous week to 94%.
Daily water consumption for the same period increased by three million litres per day to 752 million litres per day. At the same time last year, dam levels were at 77.6%.
African News Agency (ANA)