Durban — The DA in eThekwini has called for an investigation into the alleged dumping of raw sewage at Ohlanga River.
DA eThekwini whip Nicole Bollman said the party has written to eThekwini Water and Sanitation Ednick Msweli and city manager Musa Mbhele to comment urgently and provide proof of the required permissions for the dumping of raw sewage at Ohlanga River.
“We are extremely concerned about pictures that have been circulating on social media since Friday showing what appears to be sludge/sewage being dumped into the already troubled Ohlanga River,” Bollman said.
“Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda’s desperate effort to reopen beaches for swimming by December 1, 2022, has shown that corners may have been cut, which will potentially result in further ecological and health ramifications for the surrounding areas.”
Bollman said that as per the guidelines for the Utilisation and Disposal of Wastewater Sludge (TT349/99) Volume 3 of 5, Chapter 3 – Legal Requirements for the on-site and off-site disposal of sludge as published by the Water Research Commission, more specifically regarding off-site land disposal per the Environmental Conservation Act (Act No. 73 of 1989) Natural Environment Management – Waste Management Act a disposal site permit or water use authorisation would have needed to be obtained from either the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism (DEAT) or the Department of Water Affairs and Forestry (DWAF).
“Given the proximity of the discharge to the Blackburn Village Informal settlement population, who utilise this region to commute to and from work, it is doubtful whether any permits were obtained,” Bollman said.
“The DA will pursue further action in line with legislation should the municipality’s response leave much to be desired.”
Meanwhile, on Facebook on Sunday evening, Pete’s Post called Camjet heroes. It said that what Camjet had done to save our rivers is fantastic.
Pete’s Post was reacting to the Ohlanga River pollution issue after pictures and video emerged of Camjet pouring something into the Ohlanga River.
Pete’s Post encouraged people to read the post.
He said he was aware of the visuals showing a company allegedly disposing waste into the river and he explained why he had not commented about it.
On Tuesday morning, Pete said that in his opinion, the allegations against Camjet were unfounded.
He said what he was going to share was the view of qualified engineers and specialists in their respective fields.
He said that he grew up in the sewers of Durban. His father was the head of drainage for Durban back in the 1980s and he (Pete) had been involved in sewage for most of his life. Pete’s public benefit organisation Singakwazi Aid focuses on rural water purification “so I am also very aware of treatment of flocculant and sludge”.
Pete’s Post read that four photos were shared on social media showing a Camjet vehicle discharging sludge. The photos were taken at face value of what the local councillor called ‘illegal dumping’.
“What then ensued can best be described as the public hanging, drawing and quartering of Camjet. Comments passed on social media in my opinion in many instances met the legal threshold for hate speech.”
“On November 28, Camjet was appointed in an emergency contract to assist with the desilting and commissioning of the Ohlanga pump station which had been out of operation, and opening of the inlet pipes (unblocking drains) as they had an urgent mandate from the government to get the beaches open by December 1, 2022,” Pete’s Post read.
He said that the city engineers determined that the pump station was 90% full, approximately, 1 024cm3. This was made up of approximately 35% sludge and water and 65% sludge and sand.
“It was agreed by the eThekwini city engineer on site, to pump the black water into the existing stream of sewage. This would then allow the Camjet team to access the sand and sludge,” Pete’s Post read.
The post read that the volume of sludge removed was approximately 180 000 litres over two days. It must be noted that the sewage was flowing into the river at 30 000 000 litres a day so even if the sludge was pumped into the river, which it was not, it would have been inconsequential in the big picture.
“It’s also important for me to point out that there is a very significant difference between sewage and sludge. Sludge is a generic term for solids that have been separated from suspension in a liquid, whereas sewage is a suspension of water and solid waste that is transported by sewers to be disposed of or processed,” Pete’s Post read.
It read that sludge is not treated at a normal sewage plant, it is created there, which raises the question of what to do with the sludge from the pump station.
There are six basic ways to treat sludge. After which it can be disposed of or made into compost/fertiliser:
- Thickening - Sludge solids are concentrated by settling by gravity or the introduction of air.
- Dewatering - Either by air drying on sand beds, centrifugation or belt pressing (filtration)
- Anaerobic digestion - Sludge is held in the absence of air for 15 to 60 days at between 20C and 52C
- Aerobic digestion - Sludge is agitated with air or oxygen for 40 to 60 days at about 20C
- Alkaline Stabilisation - Sufficient alkaline material (lime being the most common) is added to raise the pH to 12 for 2 hours. The pH must then remain above 11.5 for another 22 hours
- Composting - Dewatering sludge is mixed with high carbon organic material. This is then composted under aerobic conditions at high temperature.
Pete’s Post read that most of these processes are highly technical and have very specific requirements for variables such as holding time, temperature, pH, and solids content.
“There was only one option available to the city engineers and that was option 2.
“The sludge it was agreed by the city would be dumped onto a disused overgrown dirt road outside the pump station as a temporary drying bed.
“The city officials agreed to take responsibility from there by mixing it with sand and moving it off site. The mandate received by Camjet was to dump onto this section and the city was going to be responsible from there,” Pete’s Post read.
It further stated that the pump station was finally working on December 2 and the team continued with unlocking the incoming lines on the sea side of the freeway by Friday December 9.
The post added that these are the facts based on Pete’s own experience, on site visits and interviews.
“I am commenting on this matter as it is in the public interest. I am not a spokesperson for either the city or Camjet. I believe the above to be a true representation of what happened,” Pete’s Post concluded.
Daily News
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