Page 25 - Thola Issue 17

titled ‘Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems’, which looks at how run-off from hardened surfaces can be reduced, and water quality can be improved, e.g. wetlands and soil infiltration areas.
Internationally-funded pilot projects are underway to improve river water quality. The data produced in the graph on the previous page was generated from a remote monitoring station funded via Germany through a partnership with Bremen.
SOLID WASTE
The good
Durban Solid Waste is arguably the best run waste facility in the country. It has won Impumelelo and United Nation awards for the management, public education programmes and innovation at its landfill facilities. It was also the first organisation to produce electricity from the methane gas extracted from two of its sites.
The bad
The City has seven different agencies for managing litter. Consequently, management is fragmented and not aligned to river catchments. As a result, a river would have a small fraction of its catchment cleaned at any given time and thus, most of the rivers are
in a poor state. Further, the level of awareness within the City regarding litter is still poor, resulting in the low degree of responsibility shown by the public.
Mitigation
The City has started a Clean Rivers Forum in an effort to integrate litter management, among many other activities.
ELECTRICITY
The good
The national electricity grid supplies our waste water treatment works and pump stations – the power needed for pumping and treatment processes. The supply is managed by a well-qualified team of mechanical and electrical engineers.
In many informal areas and tribal lands, expensive housing has established itself, which has drained water supply schemes and created pollution...
The bad
The recent wave of electricity loadshedding has resulted in sewerage overflows into our rivers. In addition, theft of cables has become a major problem.
Mitigation
Fifty strategic sewerage pump stations have been fitted with electricity generators to avoid overflows into
the rivers. More pump stations are being considered for the installation of generators.
INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS
The good
The City has supplied over 1.2 million more people with water and sanitation and over 750 000 people with improved sanitation. Further, the City has a housing programme. Government provides subsidies in the form of equitable share.
The bad
Due to increased urbanisation, the influx of informal settlements has increased dramatically. In many informal areas and tribal lands, expensive housing has established itself, which has drained water supply schemes and created pollution, yet they have contributed nothing to the City’s treasury. Run-off from informal
settlements is polluting the rivers within the City.
Mitigation
The City has extensive programmes to address the situation. As a temporary measure, over two thousand ablution blocks with attendants to keep them clean, are being erected in informal settlements.
AGRICULTURE
The impact from agriculture has not been well documented in the City. We do know, however, that nutrients from agriculture are gaining access into our rivers, contributing to eutrophication
in some areas. A recent problem in Shongweni dam ‘hit the press’ due to eutrophication. Pesticides and herbicides are not yet a problem within the City.
TRANSPORT AND INDUSTRY
The good
The Water and Sanitation Unit has a staff of thirty people regulating over
a thousand industries that produce a significant quantity of waste water.
The discharges from industry into the sewer system are screened and regularly monitored to ensure that the waste does not damage infrastructure and
is treatable at the City’s waste water treatment facilities.
The bad
Regulating the vast array of industry in the City requires a professionally qualified and experienced workforce. It is difficult to recruit and retain such
BELOW: Pollution chasing hovercraft.
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thola: VOLUME 17. 2014/15