Rags, nappies, and wet wipes: 40 tonnes of waste removed from Cape Town sewer system

More than 40 tonnes of rags,nappies and wet wipes were removed from Manenberg’s sewer system in just two months.

City of Cape Town/Supplied

Over 40 tonnes of rags,nappies,and wet wipes were removed from Manenberg,in Cape Town’s sewer system in just two months. The City of Cape Town used a bucketing system,a mechanical method for cleaning large sewer lines. During July and August,a clean-up was done on a bulk sewer line from Manenberg to the Bridgetown pump station over 40 060 kg of solid waste was extracted,including rags,sanitary towels,and wet wipes. More than 40 tonnes of rags,and wet wipes were hauled from Manenberg’s sewer system in just two months,as the City of Cape Town’s Water and Sanitation Directorate raced to prevent a potential sewer collapse and pump station failure.

The City used a bucketing system,a mechanical cleaning method employed on large sewer lines to remove rags,sand,grit,roots,and other foreign objects.

In a statement on Monday,the City said its appointed contractors use this method to keep bulk sewers flowing freely and prevent blockages that can lead to overflows in homes,streets,and public spaces.

During July and August,the municipality carried out a bucketing exercise on a bulk sewer line in Surrey Estate,which runs from Manenberg to the Bridgetown pump station in Athlone.

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Some of the 40 tonnes of debris,including nappies and wet wipes,that were removed from Manenberg’s sewer line.

City of Cape Town/Supplied

An alarming 40 060kg of solid waste,largely rags,wet wipes,and nappies,was extracted from the system.

The municipality said that had this massive build-up not been removed,it could have caused a major sewer blockage and pump station failure,spilling raw sewage into the surrounding community and posing serious health and environmental risks.

Over 40 tonnes of rags,and wet wipes were removed from Manenberg’s sewer system in just two months.

City of Cape Town/Supplied

Zahid Badroodien,the City’s MMC for water and sanitation,said,“Rags and fabric should go in the regular waste bin,not down the toilet. These items don’t break down like toilet paper and severely damage our sewer infrastructure.”

Badroodien added that the City invested R624 110 in this two-month operation,which included proactive cleaning further up the line in Manenberg.

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“Without these interventions,families in Manenberg and Surrey Estate could have faced serious impacts on their daily lives. Every time a nappy or wet wipe is flushed,it increases the risk of blockages and overflows that threaten your neighbour’s health and our environment,” he said.