Waste not sent to rivers and dams, says BCM
Buffalo City Metro has refuted claims that two of Mdantsane’s main wastewater treatment plants are not working.
Despite the “challenges” they face in some of the 15 treatment plants under their jurisdiction, BCM spokesperson Samkelo Ngwenya denied they were releasing wastewater into rivers.
Ngwenya said the two wastewater treatment plants – one called Mdantsane and the other Potsdam – were working.
“It must be stated that both the Mdantsane and Potsdam treatment works are in a working condition.
“It must also be pointed out that the [Dispatch] report that the two treatment works discharge effluent into Bridle Drift Dam is not correct,” he said.
However, he conceded that one of the treatment modules at Mdantsane treatment works had been “decommissioned” and added that “a contractor” would be “on site soon”.
“The main module has been decommissioned for refurbishment. A contract is at a final stage of procurement.
“The other treatment modules [at the Mdantsane works] are currently being refurbished by our maintenance contractors in preparation for closure of flow to the other module due for refurbishment. The site is pretty much a construction site, with some sections decommissioned for these repairs.”
The Dispatch saw no sign of construction, but for a single contractor working at one of the many treatment dams at the works.
Ngwenya also conceded there was a security problem at the unfenced Mdantsane plant and that this was a risk to children who went there.
“Yes, there is currently a risk to community members passing through the site.
“The municipality has held a few meetings with the community to address this danger. However, without fencing this has proved to be a challenge,” he said.
“We have received funding from our international partners in the city of Oldenburg [in Germany] to make people aware of pollution and how they should react and take precautions by playing their part.”
He said the new contract would look at the fencing situation as well.
“The new contract includes a complete overhaul of fencing, and construction of a new security code gate and building. This will be the first construction item as soon as the contractor is appointed.”
Some treatment plants would be decommissioned.
“A few are due for decommissioning due to their inferior treatment capacity and overloading. The others are currently being upgraded, or a contractor will be on site soon.”
He said the treatment works at Bhisho, Breidbach, Central and Schornville were overloaded while Reeston, Zwelitsha and Mdantsane were being upgraded and in some cases contractors were expected to be on site.
According to him, the effluent from Potsdam was pumped to Mdantsane sanitation treatment works where it was “disinfected before being released into an underground tunnel that takes the effluent to below the abstraction weir for raw water to Mzonyane Water Works”.
“The tunnel has recently been inspected by appointed engineers, and was found to be in a good functional condition.
“Therefore effluent from both of these works does not go to the [Bridle Drift] dam.”
He said four of the 15 BCM wastewater treatment works were pond systems, four were biological filtration systems, six were activated sludge systems, and one was a “marine outfall” (pipe into the sea).