CoCT commits R1.5 billion to sewerage upgrades amid health concerns
The City of Cape Town has allocated R1.5 billion of its R4.9 billion water and sanitation budget to upgrade Cape Town's ailing sewerage network.
City centre of Cape Town, Table Mountain. Wikimedia Commons/Discott
CAPE TOWN - Several sewerage infrastructure upgrades are being planned throughout Cape Town amid ongoing concerns about flooding, sewer overflows and adequate sanitation.
The City of Cape Town has allocated R1.5 billion of its R4.9 billion water and sanitation budget to upgrade Cape Town's ailing sewerage network.
City Mayco member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien said he's excited about the sewerage upgrades being planned for Cape Town.
READ: City of Cape Town urged to act fast on sewerage upgrades to prevent disease outbreaks
"This means more pipes, more pipes replacements, it means more pump stations replacements, more proactive mechanisms put in place to make sure our network works as it should work."
Associate Professor for Epidemiology at UCT Dvora Davey said the upgrades are overdue.
"When we see a community where there's open faecal matter in the street, in the park, in people's homes, the sewerage system has failed and it's been failing now for the past decade."
Davey said sewage-contaminated water can transmit a variety of diseases, and an urgent solution is needed to avoid a public health emergency.