Cape town - In the wake of the deteriorating Milnerton lagoon, questions have been raised over the City of Cape Town’s use of the R1.3 billion loan it received from a German development bank to improve wastewater treatment plants in the metro.
Faeces continue to float on the surface of the once pristine lagoon, sewerage pipes are clogged with fabric, condoms and toilet paper and an unbearable stench lingers over the suburb.
The City’s loan agreement with the KfW Development Bank was to co-fund the upgrading of the City’s 25 wastewater management facilities to promote “energy-efficient, ecological, economical and sustainable” treatment plants.
The source of the problems is sewage spilling from Potsdam treatment plant, which was among those earmarked for an upgrade from the German funds. The plant has been undergoing upgrades estimated to cost R2.2bn and is only due be completed in 2026.
Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien has been meeting with irate Milnerton residents who are demanding a solution.
He said the City received the last portion of the money at the beginning of this year.
“A portion of this loan will be utilised for the upgrades at Potsdam but is limited to the civil and mechanical electrical components of the upgrade and in this manner would then contribute to improvements in the lagoon,” Badroodien said.
Weekend Argus requested a breakdown of funding and how it would be used. But Badroodien failed to respond.
Nearly a year ago, the City announced plans to address the crisis at the Milnerton lagoon, but to date its plans have been inadequate. The Organisation Undoing Tax Abuse’s completed an independent water test which showed an E coli count of 180 000 colony forming units (cfu) per 100ml at the Milnerton Canoe Club on August 22.
The figure should be less than 1 000 cfu/100ml for safe canoeing. Cfu is the measuring unit used for counting E coli, a bacterium causing a range of conditions, the most common being diarrhoea.
Weekend Argus previously reported that Outa found alarmingly unsafe levels of E coli and intestinal enterococci, which indicated the presence of faecal matter in water, 100 times more than is permissible.
Outa has commissioned water tests for more than a year in the area and found that levels of E coli at the Erica Road outlet range between 17 to 70 million. Any amount above 400 count in a raw water source is a cause of concern. For drinking water, the amount must be zero.
The organisation’s Dr Ferrial Adams said the Potsdam wastewater treatment plant discharged treated effluent into the Diep River.
“This effluent has not met safety standards for more than four years resulting in two pre-directives, one in 2019 and another in 2021. This has had a major impact on water quality in the lagoon,” Adams said.
“Repeated major failures of sewage pump stations have led to spillage of raw sewage into the lagoon. These seem an ongoing problem, with multiple major spills from Milnerton Ridge pump station into the Diep River in recent months,” she said.
Adams said the organisation, led by its executive manager for social innovation, Julius Kleynhans, would be visiting the area on Thursday.
Disgruntled residents told Weekend Argus conditions in the area continued to deteriorate.
“Absolutely nothing has been done,” said resident Angi Whittle.
She described the colour of the lagoon as “a revolting brown, muddy colour”, adding: “The stench surfaces every few days. It really can’t be healthy.”
Another resident, who wanted to remain anonymous, said he was “very ill” last week due to the stench. “My throat was clogged with phlegm. I can hardly breathe.” He said the children sometimes played in the sludge and it caused all sorts of rashes.
Badroodien is adamant the City can “remediate” the lagoon.
“The process will require a systematic and intentional approach over numerous years,” said Badroodien.
“A multi-pronged, collaborative approach between stakeholders including the City, different spheres of government and the public is required to address the chronic pollution in the Milnerton lagoon.
“The City recently held the first of its quarterly public meetings to discuss long-term and short interventions with interested and affected communities,” he said.
The City’s 2022/23 budget set aside R47 million to procure additional specialised vehicles such as water tankers, combination units, jet trucks and plant equipment such as excavators and digger loaders.
Another R49.4m was earmarked to replace plumber trucks and crane tipper truckers and R3m for the development and upgrade of pump telemetry. “This is to ensure our pump stations have the necessary alarm systems in place to go off when pump stations are at risk of overflowing,” Badroodien said.
The City also set aside R150m for sewer pipe replacements for 50km, in line with its objective to quadruple pipe replacement from 26km to 100km over three years.
GOOD party’s Brett Herron said it was unfortunate that the City was dragging its feet and that its plans never materialised. “They made promises with huge fanfare, but are yet to deliver,” Herron said.
Deputy mayor and mayoral committee member for spatial planning and environment, Eddie Andrews said people remained barred from swimming in the lagoon.
Weekend Argus.