Clothes, tv, and mattress are some of the weird items found in Cape's sewers

Tyres, rags, clothes, buckets full of teaspoons and forks, and even a TV and car parts, are some of the weird items that were found by the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation as they cleared blocked sewer pipes across the metro.

COURTESY: City of Cape Town

According  to the City, between July 2022 to June 2023,  the municipality has spent about R417 million to help reduce and tackle blockages in Cape Town's sewer system

‘’This includes both proactive measures, such as the City's Winter Preparedness programme to jet clean the sewer pipelines, and reactive cleaning costs, to clear sewer blockages as a result of illegal dumping and misuse of the sewer system,’’ said  Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

🟥 We found buckets full of spoons in pipes near Sisonke Informal Settlement. In the words of the Councillor, ‘our people are not serious about under ground infrastructure’. pic.twitter.com/NdCsqsNdNG

— Dr Zahid Badroodien (@ZahidBadroodien) July 4, 2023

Badroodien said workers, in June, pulled out a mattress of the sewer in Lavender Hill. He said the team had to use specialised cleaning equipment and it took about four hours to extract the item.

🟥 LAVENDER HILLS | We removed this mattress from the 900mm sewer pipeline. Did someone flush this down the toilet or are people in your community actively sabotaging the network and causing overflows in front of your homes?

👮‍♂️Help us catch these criminals! Call 021 480 7700. pic.twitter.com/DlygsA33q3

— Dr Zahid Badroodien (@ZahidBadroodien) July 3, 2023

‘’About 85% of these cases are the result of the misuse of the sewer system… The City has even removed a TV and car parts from our sewer lines. These waste items should not be in the sewer network, so when they are, they cause sewers to overflow into our streets.’’

‘’We all need to be mindful of what we do with our waste. Our toilets, sewer pipes and drains should not be treated like dirt bins or wishing wells. Waste that gets into the sewer pipe will block it and put strain on and damage the infrastructure related to the conveyance and treatment of sewage across the city such as pump stations which are very costly to repair,’’ he added.

The mayoral committee member appealed to residents to help reduce the overflow of sewages.

‘’While the City is actioning proactive measures to help reduce overflows, we also appeal to residents and community leaders to use the available resources on the City's website to join in efforts to raise awareness about this issue and what all of us can to do prevent sewer blockages. The reality is the City cannot practically police what residents flush down the toilet or wash down their sinks, or put into drains, so it is up to communities to take responsibility. Let us work together to prevent sewer blockages,' said Zahid Badroodien, Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation.

 

Done By: Mitchum George