Yesterday the City’s Executive Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation Councillor Zahid Badroodien and Executive Director for Water and Sanitation Michael Webster, teamed up with Dr Kevin Winter from the University of Cape Town and other participants, for a World Water Day Paddle. They got into canoes and paddled along Zandvlei, an important estuary and nature reserve, to highlight the value of partnerships. They also aimed to underscore the City’s commitment to improving our inland water quality.

Partnerships between the City of Cape Town and the community, stakeholders and industry are key to addressing chronic pollution in our waterways and working together towards becoming a water sensitive city.

‘A water sensitive city of the future is a place where people want to live and work. It is a place where a healthy natural environment enables a range of social, ecological, health and economic benefits. It is a city that consists of water sensitive communities, where citizens have the knowledge and desire to make wise choices about water, are actively engaged in decision-making, and practice informed, responsible habits that protect water related infrastructure. Our commitment is to do even more, together with our residents, to clean up Cape Town’s waterways and safeguard the environment – a difficult task, but one we can tackle with the necessary commitment, innovation and compassion. We are working hard to ramp up capital spending so we can carry out more pipe replacement each year, do more preventative maintenance and clearing of the sewer system and construct additional infrastructure where needed,’ said Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

‘The World Water Day Paddle is a platform for the City to acknowledge the valuable role of partnerships and accountability as we work together to improve the health of our waterways. While the City is constantly looking at how to improve our operations and investing in our infrastructure, we also need the public’s support and to team up with us. Pollution is everyone’s business. Let’s all do what we can to be a part of the solution to improve inland water quality.

‘We can’t do such a journey on our own. The city of Amsterdam inspires us today by sharing their own journey and dream of a swimmable and liveable city, which was accomplished in 2014 with a yearly City Swim,’ said Mayoral Committee Member (Mayco) for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien.

Dr Kevin Winter from UCT said it was encouraging to have the Mayor, Mayco Members and officials from the City’s Department of Water and Sanitation actively participating in the World Water Day paddle along with other stakeholders.

‘It signals a new level of commitment to highlight concerns about the state of Cape Town’s waterways and to use this event to raise the profile of programmes such as Liveable Urban Waterways and the journey towards a water sensitive city. Yet, rapid urbanisation and climate change are two of the most critical factors that could easily overwhelm us all. Failure to address these challenges is an unacceptable outcome. It is going to demand much better water management; improved behaviour, education and support to curtail from discharging pollutants into waterways; and a firm commitment to restore the blue and green corridors that surround our lakes and rivers. If we can paddle, and even swim in our waterways, then we can safely say that Cape Town is becoming a healthy city – we are assured of its safety. It can’t become an aspirational call only, but a firm resolve from the City and its citizens. The paddle today is symbolic of a journey that is going to be arduous and challenging, but not without long term rewards in helping to make Cape Town a city with a future for all and place where we want to live,’ said Dr Winter.

The City’s action plan to address pollution in our waterways includes the following:

• The Water Quality Improvement Programmes and its associated Pollution Abatement Plans are being developed and implemented to address pollution and poor water quality at a river catchment (or sub-catchment) scale. This includes monitoring of capital improvements at WWTW plants, infrastructure audits, improved sewer spill response times and proactive maintenance of sewage infrastructure, river maintenance programme implementation, litter-boom/river warden project partnerships, as well as engagement with catchment forums and other interest groups.
• A minimum of R8 billion in WWTW upgrades is projected to be spent over the next 10 years, with several projects well under way.
• Plans to invest about R426 million into the upgrading of sewage pump stations and related sewer infrastructure over the next 10 years. As part of the Adjustment Capital Budget for the 2021/22 financial year, there has been a R20 million budget increase for pump stations to ensure these facilities receive necessary security upgrades and replacement of electrical components.
• R85,5 millionbeing budgeted for this 2021/2022 financial year for the Sewer Pipe Replacement Programme. The Water and Sanitation team is already on track to reach its target of replacing 26 000 metres of sewer pipeline by the end of June 2022. This annual  programme proactively invests in City infrastructure to help provide healthy environments for our residents and to accommodate urban growth.
• The City will invest R65,2 millionfrom now until June 2026 on capital projects to improve the health of our vleis – this will be spent on, among others, acquiring weed harvesters, a vessel for Zandvlei and the lowering of the Zeekoevlei weir. And, a further R300 million will be spent on operations over the next five years, until 2027, clearly demonstrating the City’s commitment to address the water quality of these inland waterbodies.

Additional efforts in the Sand River catchment, which Zandvlei is part of, includes the following:

• The Liveable Urban Waterway Programme is well under way and aims to rehabilitate our waterways using nature-based solutions, green infrastructure and water sensitive design approaches. Five projects, totalling some R50m, are underway in the Sand River catchment that will collectively contribute to an improvement in ecosystem health, reduction in flood risk, improved access and amenity use of the waterways and better water quality in Zandvlei. This is the start of what we hope will be a long term programme of projects to rehabilitate other waterways across Cape Town in our journey to become a water sensitive city.
• In addition to a number of existing litter fences, litter booms and litter traps, it is envisaged to roll-out additional waste intercepting structures in the Sand River Catchment in the next five years, as part of the City-wide waste interceptors project,
• Ongoing transversal in-roads with partners including the Sand River Catchment Forum and the ZPAAC are being forged, in order to communicate more widely with stakeholders on the impact of pollution on the City’s waterways.
• Enhance public education and awareness programmes such as “Bin It, Don’t Block It” (see the link here) because illegal dumping into the sewer system, stormwater network and our waterways is an ongoing concern, which can be prevented. Illegal dumping into the system is the primary cause of blockages and pump station failures, which result in overflows which drain into the stormwater system and into water bodies. Property owners/ residents should also not connect their gutters to direct rain into the sewer system which contributes to sewer overflows, or allow sewer pipes to flow into the stormwater system which pollutes our waterways.
• By-law enforcement teams will continue to monitor hot spot areas and will take action against those who contribute to pollution through illicit discharges, sewer blockages or dumping litter, rubble and other forms of solid waste into Cape Town’s sewer and stormwater systems. During 2021 calendar year, the City’s Water and Sanitation Department cleared more than 118 000 sewer blockagesacross Cape Town, the primary cause of which were misuse of the system. More than R280 million was spent on efforts to address this chronic – yet largely avoidable – problem.
• The Urban Waste Management Directorate will continue to operate drop-off facilities where residents can dispose of up to 1,5 tonnes of recyclables, electronics, garage waste and builder’s rubble for free. Furthermore we continue to provide area cleaning services and refuse collection in all areas of Cape Town, including informal settlements.  Any litter dropped on the ground or dumped on the street can be washed into rivers via the stormwater pipes. This year over R300 million was also budgeted for clearing of illegal dump sites, which can pollute nearby waterbodies.
• The City continues to look at ways to reduce the impact of unlawful occupation.

‘We all are part of the action plan in some way or another. Let’s continue to work together to improve our inland water quality,’ said Councillor Badroodien.

Source: City Of Cape Town