Blocked manholes and sewer drains caused by residents flushing foreign objects down toilets are contributing significantly to persistent sewage spillages in towns across the district, Chris Hani District Municipality authorities say.
Officials say items such as disposable nappies, sheep skins, rocks and even pillows are being dumped into the sewer system, blocking pipelines and leading to costly overflows in central business districts and residential areas.
The Komani-based municipality is responsible for water and sanitation services in the Enoch Mgijima, Vuyisile Mini, Dr AB Xuma, Inxuba Yethemba, Sakhisizwe and Emalahleni local municipalities, serving towns including Komani, Whittlesea, Tarkastad, Hofmeyer, Cofimvaba, Tsomo, Ngcobo, Nxuba (Cradock), Middelburg, Cala, Khowa, Cacadu, Dordrecht and Indwe.
This week, the district municipality acknowledged it was fighting a constant battle against foreign objects clogging sewer infrastructure.
“The municipality has been pleading with community members to refrain from blocking the system with objects such as sheepskin, rocks, pillows and nappies,” district mayor Lusanda Sizani said.
“These actions have a negative impact on our sanitation system and the environment.”
Sizani recently joined municipal teams clearing blocked sewer drains in Lingelihle and Michausdal in Nxuba, rolling up his sleeves alongside workers during the clean-up operation.
Municipal spokesperson Dr Sandiso Tyembile said maintaining the sanitation network was already costly, but the problem became significantly more expensive when foreign objects blocked the system.
“When dealing with multiple overflows across the district, the municipality is often forced to outsource additional unblocking resources such as jetting machines,” he said.
“This is an exercise that can easily see the municipality spending thousands of rand in one month.”
The municipality has faced repeated complaints over sewage spillages.
Earlier this year, residents of Khayelitsha, in Komani’s oldest township of Mlungisi, accused municipal authorities of exposing them to health risks after raw sewage flowed through streets and residential yards for almost two months.
Residents said blocked sewer lines and overflowing drains created unbearable living conditions, forcing families to keep their windows shut while flies swarmed around their homes.
Pensioner Nomava Mgca said at the time that residents had no idea why the drains repeatedly overflowed.
“We do not know what the problem is or what causes these drains to get blocked or overflow with raw sewage.
“The unfortunate part is that we now live like caged animals and are unable to even get out of our yards,” she said.
Tyembile said the district’s towns faced different challenges because of varying infrastructure, population sizes and demographics.
He said larger urban areas experienced more cases of residents dumping foreign objects into the sewer system, while towns with ageing infrastructure were naturally more susceptible to sewer failures.
“The towns with much older infrastructure are likely to be prone to spillages,” he said.
“Hence, the municipality is committed to gradually refurbish and upgrade sanitation infrastructure.”
He warned that blocked sewer systems could cause extensive damage beyond simple overflows.
“The infestation of foreign objects results in rapid overflows which sometimes jolt back into households, with the wider impact of damaging sanitation infrastructure through microbial gas corrosion, increased internal pressure as well as soil erosion around pipes.”
According to Tyembile, the municipality has stepped up public awareness campaigns aimed at changing residents’ behaviour.
Ward councillors regularly use community meetings to educate residents about the consequences of dumping foreign objects into sewer systems, while awareness campaigns are also conducted through social media platforms and community radio stations.
Tyembile said rapid urbanisation had also placed increasing pressure on ageing sewer infrastructure.
He said growing populations meant sewer pipelines were now required to carry much larger volumes of wastewater than they were originally designed to handle, increasing the likelihood of blockages and overflows.
Despite these challenges, Sizani said the municipality remained committed to improving sanitation services through infrastructure upgrades.
He said the district would continue implementing programmes to refurbish and upgrade wastewater treatment works, pump stations and sewer pipelines in an effort to reduce sewer spillages and improve the reliability of the sanitation network.
Daily Dispatch
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