The City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate is progressing well to reach its target of replacing 26 000 metres of sewer pipeline by the end of June 2022. This annual Sewer Pipe Replacement Programme proactively invests in City infrastructure to help provide healthy environments for our residents and to accommodate urban growth.

Over the past 10 years, the City has invested over R1 billion in the Sewer Pipe Replacement Programme replacing 235 689 meters of pipeline city-wide.

For this 2021/2022 financial year, the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate has budgeted R85,5 million for the Sewer Pipe Replacement Programme.

‘Cape Town has more than 9 million meters of sewer pipeline servicing properties across the city. This is about the distance from Cape Town to France by aeroplane. As a growing city, it is important for our Water and Sanitation Directorate to proactively maintain, rehabilitate, replace and upsize sewer pipelines to help provide healthy environments for our residents and help prevent sewer blockages and overflows.

‘Pipe replacements are necessary for various reasons mostly due to ageing infrastructure and densification due to population growth.

‘By the end of February 2022, more than 14 100 meters of sewer pipelines were already replaced for this FY. This means our Water and Sanitation team is on track to meet the 26 000m target by the end of this financial year in June,’ said Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

The City considers various factors when identifying and prioritising pipes for replacement. These factors include doing a comprehensive condition assessment, the Sewer Master Plan, which identifies possible capacity upgrades, structural failures reported/logged by the public and depots as well as Geographic Information Systems (GIS) mapping. GIS is a database that captures the City’s existing services information and includes pipe sizes, locations, manholes and house connections.

The Sewer Replacement Programme is a city-wide initiative. Sewer pipes have already been replaced in Goodwood, Glencairn, Muizenberg, Kraaifontein and Philippi. Work is currently being executed or planned for in Kalkfontein, Wallacedene, Kraaifontein, Gugulethu, Joe Slovo, Khayelitsha Site C, Delft, Milnerton, Cape Flats, Atlantis, Makhaza, Bellville and Kuyasa.

The Sewer Pipe Replacement Programme is one segment of the City’s Sewer Master Plan. Other priority programmes include pump station maintenance and repair, the pump replacement programme and illegal connection investigations.

‘As a City, we are investing in our infrastructure. At the same time, we want to remind residents they can help us prevent sewer blockages by only flushing toilet paper and human waste, as well as not pouring fats and oils down sinks, and throwing away other unwanted items like litter, material or rubble into open drains. About 75% of overflows would not occur if residents used sewers correctly.

‘The City is running a campaign called Bin it, Don’t block it to raise awareness on how to prevent sewer overflows, and we are calling on communities to educate themselves and their peers. At the end of the day it is residents who pay for the work to remove sewer blockages, and this money could be used for other purposes in the community,’ said Councillor Badroodien.

Source: City Of Cape Town