Community crying foul over stench
A “HEAVY” stench over Stonebridge in Phoenix coming from the KwaMashu Waste Water Works Plant on Stonebridge Drive has left residents at their wits’ end. They say their pleas for help over the years have fallen on deaf ears.
A resident and former employee at the plant, who did not want to be named, said for the past year it had not been functioning at its optimum because of three damaged pumps and non-functioning dry beds.
“Sewage is not being disposed of correctly. Dry sludge is no longer removed. Fresh sludge is dumped at the site and left there,” he said.
Ward councillor Bradley Singh said the stench had been a problem for a few years despite residents being told the municipality would assist.
“There is an incinerator on site which is not working and if the municipality could fix this, then most issues would be eliminated,” he said.
Singh said the incinerator was state-of-the-art, but was not in use.
“I have been trying to address this issue with municipal officials and only promises are made,” he said.
Rob Beharilal, chairperson of the Stonebridge Civic and Ratepayers’ Association, said it had tried for years to have the issue addressed.
In response, the municipality denied the plant was in a bad state. Spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the plant was audited by the municipal ombudsman and the Department of Economic Development, Tourism, and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) and it was found to be functional.
He said the plant had no dryers, as indicated by the resident, and that the de-watering equipment was operating.
He said that last year, only one of the four pumps was working, but the situation had since been resolved.
“Back-ups are also in place and an action plan was sent to the EDTEA. This outlined the actions taken to mitigate pollution of the river should there be a pump failure,” he said.
He said the treated effluent went to ponds and then to the river.
“This is monitored daily by our accredited lab to ensure the required quality of the effluent is met. Sludge or bio-solids from the process are sent for disposal.”
Mayisela said KwaMashu had complied with discharge standards as set out by the Department of Water and Sanitation.
“Chlorine is on line and the effluent is disinfected before release into the river. It is safe for human contact at this point, but cannot be used for drinking,” said Mayisela.
He said sludge from the plant was moved daily.
“Sludge is emptied from the storage silos into city fleet trucks. On occasion, it will be stored for short periods on site before being moved. The audit by the municipal ombud and EDTEA verified this,” he said.