Durban- The uMgungundlovu district municipality has embarked on a R400 million project to build a pump station and replace old pipes in the Howick area in an effort to prevent sewage spilling into the Midmar Dam.
This is according to the deputy mayor of uMgungundlovu District Municipality Sibongile Dlamini-Mabaso who on Wednesday said the project was in respons to the uproar that happened when sewage spilled into the Midmar Dam last year.
The Daily News reported on how the heavy rains that were experienced in the province towards the end of the 2019 played a role in the overflow of sewage into the dam.
The pollution of the dam had caused serious concerns among enviromental groups as they feared E Coli could harm people’s health and the tourism industry would be affected.
“There was something that we needed to do,” Dlamini-Mabaso said.
She said the spillage was caused by aging pipes and a growing population. These factors made the infrastructure unable to handle the large volumes she added.
Dlamini-Mabaso who is also the chairperson for the infrastructure committee at the municipality, said the old pipes would be replaced with new ones and a new pump station would be built in Howick.
The new pipes would take waste to the Howick Wastewater Works.
“The project should take about 100 weeks,” she said, adding that the project would be overseen by the Umgeni Waterboard.
The project which has an estimated cost of R400 million would also create job opportunities within the local community.
Dlamini-Mabaso said the old Mphophomeni plant and many pipes in the area had been decommissioned.
Daily News