The City of Cape Town has condemned the torching of Wallacedene sewer pump station. According to the City, they were alerted on Saturday evening that its Wallacedene sewer pump station was torched by arsonists.
The electrical and mechanical equipment required for the pump station to function was completely destroyed and it is unable to operate. They said the costs to repair this facility, which has a critical function in conveying sewage from homes and businesses to Wastewater Treatment plants, could amount to hundreds of thousands of rands.
Mayoral committee member for Water and Sanitation, councillor Zahid Badroodien, said this has resulted in sewer overflows and flooding at the pump station as well as the linked sewer network throughout Wallacedene.
“This will also impact on the surrounding communities and the receiving natural environment. With the winter rains looming and the pump station not working, rainwater will dilute the sewage and spill into the streets, giving rise to potential health concerns. Furthermore, raw sewage that enters the environment will affect water quality in the system, making it unusable for water users downstream, such as farmers,” he said.
He added that the level of infrastructure destruction caused by this criminal incident will see the pump station out of operation for some time, which will also negatively impact the surrounding areas over the same period.
He reminded the public that a reward of up to R5 000 is being offered to anyone who reports any incident or provides information related to theft and vandalism of water and sanitation infrastructure that leads to a successful arrest or recovery of stolen infrastructure.
“The City, residents and other stakeholders need to all work together to clamp down on theft and vandalism because these selfish acts by thieves and vandals result in sewer blockages and overflows in the streets of our communities. Anyone who provides information can do so confidentially,” he said.
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Picture: City of Cape Town
