The unblocking of Stofile Street main sewage pipeline currently underway by teams from the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality is set to rescue the sanitation infrastructure of Algoa Park, Kwazakhele, Newbrighton and the surrounding areas that was on the verge of collapse.
The Stofile Street mainline in KwaZakhele is a one meter diameter and 900 m long pipeline covering more than five wards.
Due to vandalism and throwing of foreign objects into the system, the pipeline completely blocked causing constant blockages and bursts in households and adjoining smaller pipelines.
This six months project will cost the Municipality R6million. Within just two months since the start of the intensive work of unblocking and extraction of foreign objects from the pipeline, 16 cubic meters of load of foreign waste has been extracted from the pipeline.
The foreign waste that have been extracted include plastic bottles, broken glasses, sand, oil, clothing rags, old tyres, sanitary towels and disposable nappies, stones and builders rubble.
Mayoral Committee Member for Infrastructure and Engineering, Councillor Dries van der Westhuizen said the problem has severely affected the Metro’s sanitation infrastructure.
“We are on the verge of collapse. Every foreign object that you can think of has been extracted from our pipelines. A lot of funds and time is spent on extraction of these objects with the funds that we can use to overhaul our aging infrastructure. We are making a plea to residents to refrain throwing waste into the infrastructure,” said MMC van der Westhuizen.
The Metro Waste Water Treatment facilities have also been experiencing serious vandalism and theft incidents. These include ripping off of electricity cables, forceful removal of metal materials from different machinery and cutting off of perimeter steel fencing.
Between January 2022 and May 2023, almost all Metro Waste Water Treatment facilities fell victim of either vandalism, stealing of cables or steel materials.
Fishwater Water Treatment facility has been the biggest affected with damages currently sitting at R12 million to refurbish all the damaged machinery.
MMC van Westhuizen said to report incidents of vandalism theft directed at metro water and sanitation they can call 0800 205050
The metro has an Anti-vandalism Steering Committee which has Metro Police on a standby for any incidents reported.
Since the start of the Steering Committee work, a number of vandalism, copper cable and steel material theft have been made.
NMB Communications
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