Durban — A sum of R500 million will be invested in the Northern Wastewater Treatment Works to complete repair work amid concerns that the plant is responsible for polluting the uMngeni River and eThekwini Municipality beaches.
AGT Water & Sanitation company director Victor Molahloe said the treatment works’ usual capacity is 70 megalitres, but they are currently receiving 18 megalitres. The reason for this decline was due to the Durban floods and it had resulted in the power source being under water.
He added that the plant is split into two modules – a 20 megalitre and 50 megalitre module – and they are refurbishing all mechanical and electrical works.
“Eighteen megalitres of clean flow is being discharged to the stream, which ends up in Umgeni Water and goes to the ocean. There is compliance while we work as this has been a three-year project and we have made some gains and progress in the last five months,” Molahloe said.
Engineer Lusapho Tshangela provided an explanation of the bio-reactor and said that it assisted with breaking down the contaminants in water.
“We have sewage entering the cells and then you have bacteria in these cells that help break down the sewage. To keep the bacteria alive, we must aerate it. Through that, you get a balance of how much breakdown of contaminants one achieves,” Tshangela said.
He added that there were a few lines that needed to be fixed and these had been damaged by the flooding.
The senior project manager of SMEC South Africa, Ahmad Hoosen, said the motor control room controlled power and assets in the plant and was the heart of the plant. He said without it, the plant could not receive any sewage.
“During the floods, this was under water. The source of power needs replacing,” Hoosen said.
He said all the automated systems were not working due to flood damage and they were working manually.
The treatment works would be fully operational by December, said eThekwini head of water and sanitation Ednick Msweli, during a site visit on Wednesday.
Msweli said he was happy with the progress made as the plant’s compliance was around 56%.
He emphasised that they had identified problems at five pump stations and that repairs were under way.
A total of 27 pump stations feed the treatment works.
Msweli said work was being done on both the northern and southern aqueducts. He added that the commissioning was specifically for the north as it had an ageing aqueduct and that had led to multiple issues.
He said the northern aqueduct could be commissioned in two weeks’ time.
He said the southern aqueduct could be vastly improved by October.
Msweli said there were currently 10 to 15 projects on the go to upgrade treatment works and there would be sufficient capacity within two to three years.
He concluded by thanking the uMngeni-uThukela Water Board for its running of 10 waterworks as this had helped enhance the working capacity.
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