Durban — The eThekwini Municipality has reported that repair and clean-up operations are under way at Ohlange Wastewater pump station.
In a statement, the municipality said that a clean-up operation is under way at the Ohlange Wastewater pump station in preparation for the re-installation of one of the duty pumps that required repairs due to a mechanical fault.
The pump station has been operational since December last year after it was commissioned following flood damage.
“New machinery, including a control panel, pumps and a standby generator were installed to avoid overflows during load shedding,” the municipality said.
“In addition, two new pumps and a new Mechanical Control Centre are currently being installed at the old Ohlange Station. Once the installations are completed, both pump stations will be running using four pumps.”
The municipality added that repairs to other infrastructural damage such as pipelines that were washed away and blockages are being addressed around the City.
It said that in some areas, most of the blockages which resulted in major overflows are due to vandalism and the misuse of the sewer system.
“The frequency with which these are occurring is a concern for the City. We will continue to educate the public about the effects of disposing of foreign objects in sanitation infrastructure,” the municipality said.
Meanwhile, earlier this month, the owner of Pete’s Post, a Facebook page, went to Ohlange pump station where he took pictures and video depicting the state of the pump station.
On Saturday, August 5, Pete’s Post read: “This video that I shot this morning at the Ohlange pump station adjacent to Blackburn Village is not for the faint-hearted or those with a queasy stomach.”
“The “fixed” pump station is no longer. The number 1 pump is not just not working.... it's not even there anymore! There is no redundancy safeguard. An ecological disaster waiting to happen. And it happened yesterday....and it will happen again. This while the mayor says we don't have a sewage crisis in eThekwini.”
In another post, Pete’s Post read: “The “fixed” Ohlange pump station is now in disrepair with 1 of its 2 pumps now having been removed. This pump station has been designed for FOUR pumps.... so ecological disasters are a matter of when...not if.”
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