Estimated reading time: 5 minutes
The contentious subject, taken on by the Newcastillian – Online News in 2021, led to what can only be described as an intense, chaotic ordeal. As the stories were published and our team dug deeper, tensions and aggression rose. Yet, we persisted, and more people came forward, providing our team with images, videos and statements about the sewage-filled rivers.
Met with resistance at a local level, the Newcastillian – Online News reached out to the National Department of Water for guidance and insight into the problem. To which the water authority responded, noting multiple issues requiring fixing. To read the full story, click here.
Media from around the country jumped on the story, and within months South Africa was well aware of the state of Newcastle’s water.
The topic eventually took on a life of its own, becoming the subject of a heated, legal battle between the Newcastle Municipality and a local businessman.
The Newcastle Municipality and its previous mayor blamed the entire issue on a local industrial laundry based in Newcastle’s industrial area. Noting, this was shortly before the LGE 2021 elections, and the laundry is owned by the ActionSA RCM for Newcastle. Read the full story here.
The case is currently still in the high court.
The state of the water and the amount of sewage flowing down the rivers was summed up perfectly by a reader. “Watching the Nguma River or the Ncandu River flow is like watching a mudslide. But it’s not mud. It’s sh*t.”
After all was said and done, we had successfully exposed and drawn national attention to, what can only be described as a blemish on Newcastle’s proud reputation. Once the cleanest town, now a dirty little city with kilometres of sewage flowing down its rivers.
But regardless of the attention and battles, what is happening to resolve this issue under the new administration?
Brining much-need positivity to the table, Mlungisi Khumalo, Newcastle Municipality’s Head of Communications, explains that the majority of the city’s sewer pumps are now operational.
Additionally, he notes that the Municipality has applied for funding from the Department of Co-operative Governance and Traditional Affairs (CoGTA) for sewer pump station maintenance and upkeep.
“It would assist to make a direct reference to a particular sewer pump station that may have been identified as having operational problems,” he points out.
With the Municipality taking a proactive stance to ensure that raw sewage does not flow into rivers, Khumalo emphasises that a service provider has been appointed to repair the section of the sewer line along Van Der Bijl. Further stating that the project is nearing completion.
“The spilling of the raw sewage into the Ncandu River from this line has now been stopped,” Khumalo assures.
Furthermore, he emphasises that the Municipality is determined to ensure that the issues from last year do not reoccur. “The repairs to the sewer pump station and maintenance of Van Der Bijl sewer network is in the main to prevent the raw spillage into the rivers. The application of funding from CoGTA is also aimed at preventing sewage flowing into the rivers.”
In addition, he extols the virtues of improved sewer reticulation operations, the primary goal of which is to prevent raw sewer spillages.
As the Newcastle Municipality now works on rectifying a mass problem, what are the current results of the water?
Khumalo explains that the Newcastle Municipalities Water Service Authority receives water and effluent quality results every month. This is then uploaded on the DWS IRIS (Integrated Regulatory Information System).
To view how clean Newcastle’s water is, click here.
What are your thoughts on this positive progression flowing into Newcastle’s water system?
Share your views in the comment section below.
Side note: Thank you to our Newcastillian community for coming forward and assisting us in our efforts to help our home, Newcastle. Our team salutes you!
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