Multiple factors blamed for Walvis sewage crisis

The Walvis Bay municipality says abuse of the sewage system by some residents, and old sewer infrastructure, are the main culprits behind the town's more than two-year-old problem of blockages.However, residents say that the municipality has had sufficient time to implement solutions and criticised the slow response to the problem, which poses major health risks and regular overflowing toilets.“What exactly has council been doing for the past two years?” a resident demanded. Moreover, residents pointed out that the lagoon area, which has been a hot-spot for overflowing sewers, has seen major developments which have not been taken into consideration by the town officials, with similar developments in the Kuisebmond area where problems also persist. “We have plenty of schools, accommodation establishments and restaurants in the area. Obviously the originally constructed sewer system is not capable of handling this additional load. Council should have taken this into consideration when approving this.” In a statement to Namibian Sun last week, the municipality said “a number of studies to date have analysed the various solutions which council may adopt to address the sewer problem.” One issue is the flat slopes where sewer lines in the lagoon area were constructed which result in a low sewage flow that causes “constant obstructions”.A resident said “two years down the line and this is the first we paying customers hear of this”, adding that over the past two years residents have been told different versions by the municipality. Residents again noted that the slow response to the problem means a solution is likely two years or more down the line, if ever. The municipality in their statement also pointed out that “while sewer infrastructure requires constant updating and maintenance, many of the sewer problems stem from abuse of the system due to improper disposal of household items and other foreign debris.”The municipality said sewer blockages and overflow can “usually be avoided by being aware of what causes blockages and avoiding these”.Residents should avoid disposing of fats, oils and grease down drains and “human and pet hair are also major blockage factors in the lagoon area.”Further, the disposal of food waste and coffee grinds “are high risk factors” for blockages. The municipality admitted that the continuous problems with overflowing and blocked drains present major health risks but teams are consistently on the ground to clear reported incidents. Council is also assessing how to implement an effective programme for flushing main sewer lines, the municipality said. Moreover, an upgrade for the sewer main lines in Rikumbi Kandanga Road and 6th Street have commenced and it is anticipated that the upgrade will help address and improve the sewer problem in the lagoon area. Barriers to implement solutions are numerous, including funding. “The development required for the lagoon area is of higher complexity and larger scale thus the project has been divided into phases.”The municipality said a specialist consultant's services are being procured to implement the envisioned sewer lifting station. Currently the municipality has implemented schedules for planned routes in every suburb to keep a close eye on possible blockages and more frequent inspections of potential problem areas are conducted.The municipality says they strive to provide timely repairs or replacements of network components that have suffered deterioration and to clean sewer main lines where evidence of impeded flow is detected or suspected on a regular basis, as a preventative measure.JANA-MARI SMITH

Multiple factors blamed for Walvis sewage crisis

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-24

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Multiple factors blamed for Walvis sewage crisis

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Namibian Sun 2025-01-24

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