R100k per week spent to clear ‘foreign objects’ from Johannesburg’s sewer lines

Johannesburg Water is appealing to residents to refrain from putting large or inappropriate items into toilets and drains.

The entity said the unblocking of pipes was costing the city at least R100 000 per week while it is struggling with the theft and vandalism of infrastructure.

To aid Johannesburg Water, the municipality proposed R5.32 billion in funding over the next three years.

Clogged sewer lines

Johannesburg Water appealed for improved consumer behaviour and awareness relating to sewer infrastructure.

“Public ignorance or misuse of infrastructure often leads to its abuse and vandalism, further impacting the entity’s operations and finances,” Johannesburg Water stated.

“On average, the entity spends about R20 000 per day on a jetting machine to clear blocked sewer lines where people have disposed of foreign objects in the system,” it said.

DA shadow MMC for services and infrastructure Tyrell Meyers noted that the age of sewer lines and creeping vegetation contributed to the clogging, but could attest to the odd objects found in sewers.  

“We have also seen what has gone down sewer lines. It is unbelievable the kinds of things you see, I don’t know how it is possible but I’ve seen people pull out telephone directories,” Meyers told The Citizen.

Maintenance improvements

Meyers said the pipes also get clogged with vegetation and the roots of trees which penetrate and damage sewer lines.

He urged residents, when beautifying their curbs, to be mindful of the service infrastructure running underneath that may need to be accessed in the future.

“Another way of operating efficiently is to do inspections on the line regularly and have more of a proactive approach to maintenance than a reactive approach,” said Meyers.

Broken and damaged infrastructure hampered service delivery, while missing manhole covers were a danger to pedestrians and motorists, he said, referring to the added cost of theft and vandalism.

Johannesburg Water plans to improve lighting, collaborate with the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department, and use real and dummy CCTV cameras to prevent this from happening.

“This senseless destruction is costing both lives and livelihoods, and urgent action is required to address it,” said Johannesburg Water’s general manager for operations, Mzwakhe Mtsweni.

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