Crumbling infrastructure contaminates river system

A LACK of maintenance of sewage infrastructure by the Sedibeng district and Emfuleni local municipalities in Gauteng was at the centre of the crumbling infrastructure problems leading to contamination of the Vaal River system, Parliament’s water and sanitation portfolio committee said yesterday

The committee visited the municipalities and the Sebokeng waste water treatment plant and found that some the treatment units were not functional, leading to overloading of the remaining units, committee chairperson Mlungisi Johnson said.

“The committee has always emphasised the need for proper investment in maintenance of infrastructure to ensure longevity of the system and to avoid the unintended consequences like the spillage into the river system. It is also a requirement by the Department of Co-operative Governance’s back-to-basics programme that municipalities must spend 10% of their budgets on maintenance,” he said.

While the committee supported building new units, it had emphasised that the old units should be maintained to ensure optimal use of the entire plant. A matter of concern for the committee was the delays in implementing the Sebokeng regional sewer scheme, which ultimately resulted in negative social and economic consequences.

“At the centre of the committee’s preoccupation is ensuring that spillage into the Vaal River system is stopped. Furthermore, the reduction of costs of purifying chemicals will ensure that municipalities have more money to spend on service delivery. As such, the committee has resolved that it will get monthly reports on interventions by all spheres of government in resolving the problem,” said Johnson.