By the end of the year, residents and the municipality will have a clear picture of how and when Port Alfred’s failing sewage infrastructure will be fixed.
More than that, residents will be consulted about the plan as the consultants develop and finalise it. That’s the intention of project engineers, Lukhozi Consulting Engineers. The company’s Jacques Jordaan started off by addressing Ward 6 and Ward 10 residents at a meeting in the Ndlambe Civic Centre on Tuesday September 27.
Jordaan presented the background of phase 1 of Port Alfred’s sewerage infrastructure project, funded by the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) from the Department of Water and Sanitation. Clarifying the plan later to TOTT, municipal spokesperson Cecil Mbolekwa said the main focus of this first phase was to eliminate the faulty sewage pump stations across Port Alfred by introducing new sewer lines.
Jordaan said Phase 1, due to be completed by June 2023 was part of a five-year master plan that Ndlambe Municipality has embarked on to provide sanitation services for residents.
This multi-year project is aimed at providing two thirds of the town with proper sanitation. This will also increase the flow of waste water to the water treatment plant. With this increased flow, Port Alfred’s existing wastewater recycling plant will then become viable as an alternative water source for the town.
The sanitation master plan runs parallel to work already under way. Most of Phase is being done in Ward 10, but also parts of wards 6 and 9.
In the upgrading of the town’s sewerage infrastructure, there would be an environmental process followed. The work requires authorisation from the Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism and this would be applied for, Jordaan said.
The purpose of the meeting was for residents to be aware of the project, the process, and allow them to engage.
“Once we’ve completed Phase 1, we will then progress with further phases. Those [next phases] will be identified through our master plan. We intend to have the master plan completed by the end of the year and we would also like to have the community involved in the process of [drawing up] the master plan,” Jordaan said.
Issues raised by members of the public at the meeting included the dysfunctional sewerage pumps in Nemato which cause major sewage spills in town.
Jordaan said there was a plan to consolidate the multiple pumps into one functional pump.
Residents also expressed concern that plans for the sewerage upgrades should include maintenance – particularly because the topography of coastal towns is a challenge for sewage pumps.
Jordaan said the scope of their work did not involve the maintenance of the pumps: their funding is to be spent on new infrastructure; however, they would be providing recommendations to the municipality.
As part of the public consultations, a project steering committee will be established to assist with the effective communication with residents, who will play an oversight role. This committee will be the main channel for residents to engage on the project. The committee will include representatives from Ndlambe Municipality, the main contractor, the Port Alfred Business Forum (Clinton Millard), Port Alfred Ratepayers and Residents’ Association PARRA (Dawie Van Wyk) and the relevant ward committees.
