City of Cape Town completes Gugulethu sewer pipe replacement project

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis toured the city's completed sewer pipe replacement project in Gugulethu.

 PHOTO: City of Cape Town

The city has a goal of doubling sewer pipeline renewals to 50km in the 2022/23 financial year by June with a total investment of R850 million over the next three years.

Pipe replacement is part of a strategy to reduce wastewater pollution over time. These include major sewer upgrades, proactive cleaning, resource allocation to sewage spill response teams, and digital telemetry systems for early warning of sewage spills.

These interventions have led to a 30% down trend in reported spills in Cape Town over the last two years based on preliminary data. The City is now rolling out a Reactive Incident Management System (RIMA) to track progress even more closely by digitizing the coordination of sewer spill responsiveness.

Mayor Hill-Lewis said he was joyful to witness the completion of extensive sewer pipe replacement, adding he has tracked the project tracked closely.

“The neat roads, sidewalks, and painted road markings make it seem as if there was never a major underground project to replace sewer pipes. This not only positions the community for economic growth, it also directly improves quality of life and dignity through better sanitation.”

For 2023/24, roughly over R8bn of Cape Town’s R11bn capital budget will go towards critical infrastructure that benefits lower-income households, informal settlements, and poorer communities in our city. Apart from improving basic services, personal and community dignity, the scale of Cape Town’s R43bn infrastructure pipeline bigger than Joburg and Durban combined will create an estimated 135 000 jobs in the city over three years.

 

Done by: Esona Mfazwe