Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis accepted the final handover of the upgraded Zandvliet Waste Water Treatment Works from the construction contractor. The Zandvliet upgrade is one of the city’s largest infrastructure projects to date, providing improved sanitation, particularly for low-income households in the metro’s eastern region. Councillor Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, attended the handover event on Wednesday.
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The upgrade increases treatment capacity from 72 to 90 million litres per day, helping to support a growing population and economy. The plant’s effluent quality has also improved significantly thanks to cutting-edge membrane treatment technology that treats water to near-potable levels.
‘Today we officially celebrate the completion of one of the biggest water and sanitation projects we have ever undertaken – the state of the art upgrade to the Zandvliet Wastewater Treatment Works – and as far as I am concerned, the best R2 billion we could ever spend.
‘The biggest impact of this Zandvliet upgrade will be directly to the lives – and the dignity – of the families who live in the areas serviced by this plant. Here we’re talking about communities in Delft, Khayelitsha, Mfuleni and Blue Downs – some of the fastest-growing catchments in the city.
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‘By increasing the capacity of this plant we are positioning Cape Town to grow and flourish as we cross the 5-million mark to become SA’s most populous metro. Overall, City infrastructure investments will lead to over 130 000 jobs in three years based only on construction, aside from all the economic benefits of improved infrastructure.
‘Proper, functioning sanitation is the difference between a life of struggle and a life of dignity. Today we’re not just celebrating an impressive piece of infrastructure – we’re celebrating a big step up in the dignity of the residents of these communities.
‘We know that the only way this city will truly make progress is if every single person in the city experiences that progress, which is why 73% of our infrastructure spend this year directly benefits lower income households,’ said Hill-Lewis during a tour of the upgraded plant.
Aside from increased capacity, the Zandvliet upgrade will ensure that high-quality treated effluent meets all licence requirements outlined by the National Department of Water and Sanitation.
‘In time, treated wastewater from this upgraded plant will be supplied to a state-of-the-art New Water Scheme to be built at the Faure Water Treatment Plant and Reservoir in the coming years. This will be further purified to drinking water standards via a multi-barrier purification process to ensure the highest applicable safety standards. The water will then be blended with dam water to augment the water that feeds the existing Faure Water Treatment plant, and fed into the City’s Water Supply across all areas.
‘Overall, the City is aiming to add around 7% to our Metro’s potable water supply through re-use by 2040,’ said Badroodien.
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Picture: City of Cape Town
