1. The Renosterberg Local Municipality (LM) requested support from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) and The Northern Cape Department of CoGHSTA regarding urgent repairs and maintenance of its sewer reticulation system and pump stations. This assistance was required due to financial obligations and constraints that the municipality was experiencing.
A condition assessment was conducted by DWS, MISA and CoGHSTA and based on this assessment, the following scope of work indicated in the table below was finalised to rectify the sewer infrastructure challenges:
ITEM |
REPAIRS OF SET'UER PUMPSTATIONS IN VANDERKLOOF |
1 |
Main Pumpstation 36kW Gorman Rupp: Repairs on the Electrical Panel |
2 |
Repair of Minor Sewer Pumpstation 11kW (x2) Hidrostal (Electrical and Mechanical Repairs) - Suikerbossie Street |
3 |
Repair of Minor Sewer Pumpstation 11kW (x2) Hidrostal {Electrical and Mechanical Repairs} - Nature Reserve Street |
The abovementioned repairs could not be funded through the Water Services Infrastructure Grant (WSIG) of the DWS, with the exception for the level control switches for both pumps which were priced at R 150 000. Funding was allocated by DWS for this work.
The Northern Cape Department of CoGHSTA allocated R1 million for the required work. The Request for Quotation was issued by CoGHSTA during August 2022 for the repairs of the sewer pumpstations in Vanderkloof and work was completed by December 2022.
DWS assisted in monitoring of the works together with the CoGHSTA office. Retention work to the level control system was done during October 2022 and additional maintenance to the main pumpstation seals was done by the Renosterberg LM during October 2023.
2. Regulatory actions taken by the DWS to ensure that the Renosterberg Local Municipality complies with requirements for wastewater management include the following:
A MISA report issued in April 2022 confirmed infrastructure deficiencies. A site inspection conducted by CoGHSTA also reached the same conclusion as the DWS investigations that the Vanderkloof WWTW and associated pump stations are contaminating groundwater resources and polluting the Vanderkloof Dam.
The municipality informed DWS of challenges experienced with the WWTW and pumpstations. The municipality indicated that its accounts were frozen due to outstanding Eskom debt and therefore no funds could be accessed to implement the corrective actions and comply with the DWS directives. However, the account was unfrozen as per the court ruling in May 2022. Afterwards, the DWS instructed the municipality to submit a corrective plant of action with clear time frames to address non-compliance on 22 June 2022. The plan is addressed as indicated in (1) above.
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