MHLATHUZE Water has completed extensive repair and maintenance of its A-line off-shore pipeline at Alkantstrand.
According to a media release issued on Tuesday, the underwater pipeline, which transports effluent discharged from Richards Bay’s industries to a point 4.7km out to sea, had been subject to routine maintenance work last year.
This followed a leak which, in turn, led to a significant amount of effluent being abnormally expelled into the sea in September last year.
The work included the replacement of a corroded clamp on the pipe, as well as repairs to a stuffing box.
In a report to a pipeline forum meeting last week, attended by various effluent contributors, Mhlathuze Water’s General Manager for Scientific Services, Swaswa Ntlhoro, said while there had been periodic delays in fixing the pipeline owing to inclement weather, the repair work had finally been completed this month.
He reassured the meeting that Mhlathuze Water, in line with established protocols, had reported the incident to the Department of Environmental Affairs and also engaged the services of a reputable environment consultancy to undertake studies on the extent of the impact the effluent leak might have had.
‘As confirmed by the outcomes of our report, we can confirm that no significant harm was caused to marine life by the incident.
‘We will continue to closely monitor all our pipelines and to effect maintenance work to reinforce their integrity.’
Ntlhoro added that Mhlathuze Water would continue to take a hard line stance on effluent compliance to ensure that, even if a leak were to occur, the contents of the effluent would be so diluted and within the acceptable standards that no harm would befall the environment.
‘While it is true that our industrial clients sometimes experience challenges complying with the permissible discharge levels, ultimately, as the permit holder, the buck stops with us as Mhlathuze Water.
‘While we continue to assist them (industries) to be complaint, we are also duty bound by the dictates of the Department of Environmental Affairs to comply with our licence agreements regarding the quality and quantity of effluent,’ Ntlhoro said in the statement.
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