Cape Town - Residents of some parts of Pelican Park, Lotus River and Grassy Park are up in arms over the stink from a wastewater treatment plant in their area.
Lotus River neighbourhood committee chairperson Paul Phillips said: “We’ve reported the sewerage smell many times and nothing has been done. It’s an ongoing issue for the community.
“Despite the waste plant, there are also many backyarders depending on the sewerage system in the
Lotus River, Pelican Park area and this could be causing a build-up in the system resulting in spillovers into the canal.”
City Mayco Member for water and waste, Xanthea Limberg, said: “Residents in the area may be experiencing unpleasant odours as the wastewater treatment works is currently being upgraded, resulting in two of the bioreactors being off-line currently.
“This results in the facility producing a more ‘active’ (and therefore malodorous) sludge.”
Limberg said the City would request the odour control contractor to intensify their operations. While the odour was unpleasant, the City’s Health Department had previously indicated that available evidence showed it wasn’t a health risk.
National spokesperson for the Department of Water and Sanitation, Sputnik Ratau, said: “All wastewater treatment plants will have a smell. It’s unfortunate that the plant is close to residential areas, but it’s built somewhere based on the design of an area.”