The City of Cape Town needs to spend about R1-billion on treatment plants over the next five years to avoid a sewage crisis, mayoral committee member for trading services Lionel Roelf said on Monday.
Most of the city’s waste-water treatment plants are already operating near or beyond capacity, with ageing, ineffective infrastructure, he said in a statement.
As a result, inadequately treated effluent enters the environment at many plants.
About R420-million has already been earmarked in the city’s draft three-year capital budget for waste-water treatment, but this amount is R260-million short of what is needed to meet the R1-billion target.
The city produces more than 564-million litres of domestic and industrial sewage a day. — Sapa