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For Rapula moatshe 
2h ago
Pretoria – The Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) has been identified as a contributor to raw sewage discharged from sewage treatment works into rivers in the city of Tshwane.
This was according to the manager of the South African Human Rights Commission in Gauteng, Buang Jones, who conducted an investigation into the water quality in the rivers running through some parts of the municipality on Friday at Kameeldrift.
The rivers in the focus of attention were Apies, Tolwane, Pienaar and Hennops, into which the wastewater from the wastewater treatment plants flowed.
Residents who live near rivers have complained for years about dirty water and the unbearable smell that permeates the air.
Tshwane’s MMC for utilities and regional operations, Phillip Nel, said the problems related to the sewage plants date back to 2004, adding that at least R9.2 billion was needed to repair the deteriorating water infrastructure.
Jones blamed the department for recurring problems under his watch as a water regulator, saying his “leniency” with Tshwane in not enforcing the law contributed to the problems.
In terms of the law, any person responsible for polluting water is guilty of violating any provision of subsection (1) of article 151 of the National Water Law, according to the departmental report presented to the commission.
The culprit is subject, on the first conviction, to a fine or imprisonment for a period not exceeding five years or a fine and a prison term.
However, it emerged during the hearing that none of Tshwane’s managers had faced criminal charges for violating the water law.
Jones said: “These issues did not come to light three weeks ago. How long can you participate? This disaster occurred under his supervision as a regulator. “
The department’s senior manager, Justice Maluleke, said forums were established in 2013 for interested parties to participate quarterly on pollution incidents.
Jones said: “Has the regulator understood the claims that could arise as a result of the abdication of leniency? Because the law is there (and) you just need to apply the law to the letter. I agree that there should be constructive interactions, but you also need to make sure the law is applied. “
The municipal chief of public services, Stephen Notoane, said he was not aware of any official in the hot water for disobeying the water law.
This was despite ongoing problems at wastewater plants such as Baviaanspoort, Klipgat, Sunderland Ridge, and Rooiwal.
Maluleke blamed the City for failing to comply with directives issued by the department and for not implementing action plans to improve the situation at the plants.
He said the department had a pending case against the city in Gauteng High Court in Pretoria, scheduled to be heard on March 8.
The water problems in Baviaanspoort were detected in 2016, while those in Rooiwal were noticed around 2010/11.
Maluleke said the Klipgat plant used to be one of the best plants in Tshwane before it was vandalized, prompting protests from the farming community affected by untreated sewage dumped into the Tolwane River.
There have been complaints about continuous sewage sludge and solid waste flowing from the Pienaar River into the Roodeplaat dam.
Advocate Hendrick van Staden, representing the community, said untreated sewage causes air pollution and has bad economic ramifications.
People living near the Roodeplaat Dam cannot enjoy meals outside their homes due to the bad smell in the air.
Farmers were hit hard by the situation, as high levels of nitrates found in contaminated water burned their crops.
Van Staden said farmers could no longer sell their vegetables because the market was reluctant to buy produce “contaminated by sewage.”
In 2019, he said, the City made a series of empty promises to do something about the problem.
The DWS report presented to the commission showed that several notices and directives were previously issued to the municipality to improve conditions at wastewater plants.
In one of the correspondence, the department accused the City of contradicting the water law by allowing pollution activities to continue unabated.
In 2016, the City was alerted to a pollution activity that was occurring in the Tolwane River as a result of effluent discharged from the Klipgat plant.
Cable theft contributed greatly to the plant’s ineffective operation, but the city was unable to repair the crude sludge after the department requested it.
In 2019, the department raised concerns with the city regarding four wastewater plants: Rooiwal, Klipgat, Baviaanspoort, and Sunderland Ridge.
The situation at the plants continued to deteriorate despite numerous site inspections by department officials.
Concerns were also raised about the Roodeplaat Dam in 2016 after complaints that raw sewage overflowed into the Pienaars River at Baviaanspoort, while it also spilled into the Roodeplaat Dam.
Notoane said the municipality had started working to improve the situation at the plants.
The Baviaanspoort redevelopment began in October 2018 and was scheduled to be completed in April.
“The current remodeling and upgrade project will solve the challenge of the discharge of solids or sludge into the Pienaars River and the Roodeplaat Dam,” he said.
Work is underway to restore the Sunderland Ridge balance tank and restore Rooiwal.
Notoane said the upgrade projects “would improve the confidence of consumers and affected or interested parties.”
Pretoria News
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