The City of Cape Town has launched a state-of-the-art Pump Station Control room aimed at transforming how water and sanitation infrastructure is monitored and maintained.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis, accompanied by Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Councillor Zahid Badroodien, unveiled the facility on August 19, 2024. The digital hub is designed to enhance live tracking and rapid responses to issues affecting Cape Town’s critical water and sewer systems.
With an investment of over R7.4 million, the control room is now monitoring 401 sewer pump stations, 58 water pump stations, and 60 reservoirs across the City’s extensive infrastructure network.
Using a telemetry alarm system, the control room sends digital alerts that allow response teams to act swiftly on service disruptions, especially during after-hours emergencies.
“During my visit to the control room, I was impressed by how digital coordination is enabling live monitoring of water and sewer networks. The tracking system is helping to quickly dispatch teams to attend to infrastructure performance issues.
We are also reducing responses to false alarms by as much as 50% in the first few months of operation, ensuring more efficient use of our teams attending to faults.
The most exciting part about these investments is the direct benefit to communities of faster City responses and reduced impact of sewer and water overflows,” Mayor Hill-Lewis said.
This initiative is part of a broader strategy to mitigate the impact of sewer spills on communities and the environment. The City has also increased investments in rapid response teams, fleet upgrades, and power solutions to counter the effects of load shedding on pump stations.
Additionally, proactive measures, such as jet-cleaning over 200km of sewers annually, are aimed at reducing blockages and preventing overflows.
Councillor Zahid Badroodien highlighted the City’s substantial financial commitment to water and sanitation infrastructure, noting that over R5.3 billion has been allocated for the 2024/25 fiscal year alone.
“Overall, the City will invest R16,5 billion in this category of infrastructure over three years, totalling 41% of Cape Town’s medium-term capital budget. This includes R1 billion in upgrades to sewer pump stations,” he stated.
IOL