Work is under way on the rehabilitation of sewer pipes in Kewtown.
Kewtown is one of the areas that will benefit from the City’s pipe replacement programme.
This forms part of the mayor's priority programme, setting aside R323 million for infrastructure maintenance of both sewer and water pipes in the 2024/2025 financial year, said mayoral committee member for water and sanitation Zahid Badroodien.
About 2 330 meters of sewer pipeline along key routes, including Jan Smuts Avenue, Springbok Street, Greinhout Street, Eland Street, Protea Street, Brandon Road, Dr Abdurahman Avenue, Poncho Street and Papaya Street, will be rehabilitated. The work focuses on replacing 150mm and 225mm diameter pipes.
The project was initiated following multiple sewer pipe collapses in the area during the winters of 2022 and 2023. The collapses undermined drainage towards the Bokmakierie sewer pump station, causing sewer overflows.
The City aimed to replace or rehabilitate about 1.5% of the City's total sewer network annually, and the Kewtown project was to be concluded by March 2025, said Dr Badroodien.
The trenchless rehabilitation method being used for this project is cured-in-place piping. The near 35-year-old sewer pipe is relined with a textile tube coated in resin, which hardens after it has been inserted into an existing pipe. The scope of work also includes cleaning of illegally dumped debris from the sewer system.
Nothing other than human waste and toilet paper could flow through the system without eventually deteriorating the network, said Dr Badroodien.
“Manhole covers also need to remain closed and intact, which will help to deter anti-social behaviour such as illegal dumping of construction rubble, blankets and kitchen oils. These foreign objects found blocking sewer lines are often the root cause of overflows.”