Load-shedding blamed for sewage spills on two Cape Town beaches

Load-shedding is to blame for two sewage spills which led to Muizenberg and Fish Hoek beaches being temporarily closed as a precautionary measure.

Acting Cape Town mayor Eddie Andrews said on Wednesday prolonged outages under higher stages of power cuts were taking a toll on sewage infrastructure.

“The recent temporary closure of Muizenberg and Fish Hoek beaches highlight the challenges brought about by continued high stages of load-shedding on the city’s water and sanitation infrastructure.

“However, every effort is being made to address spills as speedily as possible. The city’s sewer pump stations need electricity to function effectively and convey sewage to wastewater treatment plants where it can be treated.”

Andrews said measures were in place to mitigate the effects of load-shedding such as equipping “priority sewer pump stations” with permanent generators to bolster plant resilience, having teams on standby with mobile generators to run smaller pumps and fitting all pump stations with telemetry equipment to monitor the sump levels.

“The city experiences daily challenges with inappropriate objects blocking our sewer network. The situation is compounded by load-shedding — particularly the sustained higher levels we have experienced.

“The impact is visible, particularly in our coastal areas, at a time when the beach is a very popular destination. We need to accept that pump station faults can and will occur, given the ongoing load-shedding, but I assure residents and visitors that, as a caring city, we address these issues as quickly as possible when they arise.

“When there is a fault at a pump station the city tries to fix it in the shortest time possible to stop the overflow.”

Andrews said if a beach was affected, several city departments were activated to investigate and respond. “Based on assessments, city health might advise that a part of the beach be temporarily closed and warning signs erected.

“Regular water sampling follows and the beach will only be reopened [when] the water quality meets the minimum requirement for recreational activities as determined by the national water quality guidelines.”

He urged residents to report sewer blockages and overflows “so that these can be cleared in a reasonable time, given the power situation”. 

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