ERMELO – The Middelburg High Court recently issued a ruling that holds the Msukaligwa Local Municipality accountable for a long-standing water pollution crisis.

The case, which was investigated by the minister of water and sanitation, Senzo Mchunu, has directed attention to the deteriorating infrastructure that affects services. Msukaligwa’s Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW) takes centre stage.

The WWTW is not operating optimally and as a result it is releasing poorly treated effluents, resulting in pollution to the environment and water resources, particularly Brummer Dam.

ALSO READ: High court orders Msukaligwa to address water pollution crisis

Msukaligwa is also failing to unblock certain manholes in and around town. One of the manholes near the Global filling station has been overflowing for the past three years. This manhole was also cited in the directive issued.

Highvelder approached the Department of Water and Sanitation’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, and asked her to elaborate on the critical issues at the WWTW.

• Dysfunctional old plant

“The older section of the plant suffered from mechanical faults, rendering it non-operational. This failure significantly impacted the wastewater treatment process,” said Mavasa

• Screw pump malfunction

“Within the new plant, one of the screw pumps, crucial for efficient water movement in the treatment process, was not functional, reducing the plant’s overall capacity.”

• Clarifiers and return water pumps

“Two clarifiers and the return water pumps were not working as intended. Clarifiers are responsible for separating solids from wastewater – a crucial step in the treatment process.”

• Sludge mismanagement

Instead of proper sludge management, Mavasa stated that the municipality pumped sludge into ponds near the drying beds, which, according to her, is an inadequate and environmentally harmful approach.

• Effluent pump issues

“The pump responsible for transferring treated wastewater into the emergency dam remained non-operational.”

• Lack of disinfection

Mavasa stated that there was no disinfection or chlorination of the final effluent before it is released, which effectively means that the released effluents did not meet the required quality standards.

• Poor-quality effluent

“Cumulatively, these issues resulted in the release of poor-quality effluents, containing high levels of E. coli and faecal coliform.”

• Environmental and health implications

“The high levels of E. coli and faecal coliform in the water supply, especially in the Brummer Dam reservoir, has severe environmental and health implications. Contaminated water can harm aquatic life, leading to fish deaths and disrupting the ecosystem. Additionally, if humans consume this contaminated water, it can lead to various health issues, including diarrhoea and other waterborne illnesses.”

Highvelder also sent several questions to the municipal spokesperson, Mandla Zwane, who stated, “The municipality’s legal section studies the judgment and provides legal advice on the actions to be taken.”

He also indicated the municipality is complying with the court order.

“The municipality is going to appoint an environmental specialist this week. The specialist will assist with the application for the registration of water use and compile a rehabilitation plan. The plan will be submitted within days to DWS for approval as per the court order.”

Furthermore he said the municipality conducted a feasibility study for the upgrade of the existing Ermelo Waste Water Treatment Work in 2021. According to him, the report indicated an amount of R66m was needed for the refurbishment and upgrade of Ermelo WWTW.

ALSO SEE: GALLERY – Ermelo chokes on sewage stench amid municipal project

“The existing wastewater treatment works is nine megalitres per day (ML/d) and the envisaged upgrade will increase the capacity by 21ML/d to accommodate current and future growth.”