The City’s Water Pollution Control (WPC) team is cracking down on illegal storm water connections and discharges and advising owners of residential and commercial properties in Witsand and Atlantis on how to fix them. Councillor Zahid Badroodien, a member of the mayoral committee for Water and Sanitation, joined the inspection team.
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Between March 2023 and February 2024, the Water and Sanitation Directorate’s WPC team inspected 12 580 properties, issuing 159 contravention notices and disconnecting 40 illegal connections.
The majority of these contravention notices and illegal disconnections occurred in Masiphumelele, Wallacedene, Imizamo Yethu, Bloekombos, Dunoon and Joe Slovo.
The WPC team consistently conducts proactive compliance inspections across Cape Town and collaborates with stakeholders on blitz operations. Initiatives, like the Disconnections Programme, aim to ensure compliance and enhance inland water quality.
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The City also responds reactively to community inspection requests. Councillor Zahid Badroodien recently inspected Witsand in response to residents’ complaints about grey water flushing into storm water drains, a violation of by-laws that harms the environment and private properties downstream.
The investigations revealed that these were not isolated incidents but rather a widespread issue in Witsand that required immediate attention.
How the inspection and disconnection process works
- A house-to-house physical inspection is done to check for compliance with the City’s Storm Water Management By-law.
- In cases where transgressions are observed, the home owner/tenant is informed of the impact of the illegal discharges on public health and the environment.
- The property owner is then issued a contravention notice according to the by-law, which stipulates the timeframe within which the contravention must be rectified.
- Properties that comply with the notices and remove the illegal connections are noted as complying with the relevant legislation.
- Properties where contraventions are ongoing after a follow-up inspection are disconnected in collaboration with the City’s Roads Infrastructure Management (RIMS) Unit and supported by law enforcement.
During these inspections, the main sources of pollution in storm water channels were identified to be:
- Illegal connections from hairdressers’ washing basins
- Waste water from washing machines
- Direct discharge from the toilets
- Illegal dumping of solid waste
Similar inspections are scheduled for Nomzamo, Lwandle, Asanda Village, Hangberg and Fisantekraal in the coming weeks.
‘The tremendous efforts of our Water Pollution Control team is of great value. The discharging of wastewater and grey water into the incorrect system severely impact the inland water quality of our city,’ said Badroodien.
‘I call on residents to co-operate with the City’s water pollution inspectors who will be conducting similar inspections city-wide in the coming months to help address and enforce the correction of illegal connections and discharges to the stormwater system.’
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Picture: Supplied / CoCT