Mayor visits Kingsburgh sewage plant
Mayor Kaunda said there is a R6 million budget for the dredging of pond sludge.
THE Kingsburgh wastewater treatment works plant was visited by eThekwini Municipality mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, on November 2, to inspect the dredging operation that is currently underway.
The facility employs a system of ponds for further treatment and polishing of the sewage before its release into the river.
Also read: Ward 97 wastewater progress report
Municipal spokesperson Gugu Sisilana said periodic dredging of these ponds is done to stop the accumulation of solid substances and to prevent the carry-over of contaminants into the river, “which could potentially result in the pollution of the adjacent river or sea, where the works discharges its treated effluent. To address this issue, a tender was issued for the emergency dredging of maturation pond sludge at various wastewater treatment facilities as a preventive measure,” said Sisilana.
Mayor Kaunda revealed that R6 million has been set aside to be used over the next six months for the dredging of pond sludge at various wastewater treatment facilities around the city.
“As a coastal city, eThekwini periodically experiences floods which affect the functionality of our wastewater infrastructure. That is why we have to take preventative measures to ensure that our infrastructure is not compromised when that time comes,” said Kaunda.
He added that to promote water quality, the municipality has started the joint sampling of beach-water quality with Adopt-a-River, a non-profit organisation whose samples are tested by an independent laboratory, Talbot.
“The joint sampling enables credible comparison of test results in the interests of transparency and public safety,” he said.
Kaunda, however, got his facts wrong when he said only Warner Beach remained closed for swimming. Winklespruit Beach has remained closed since April 2022 due to sewage contamination. At the time of Kaunda’s visit, both Warner Beach and Winklespruit were closed for swimming because of high sewage contamination.
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