eThekwini city manager announces upgrade plan to halt ongoing sewage leaks
eThekwini Municipality has announced a plan to upgrade the City’s sewage infrastructure which will hopefully bring about an end to ongoing sewage leaks.
eThekwini Municipality has announced a plan to upgrade the City’s sewage infrastructure which will hopefully bring about an end to ongoing sewage leaks.
Durban – eThekwini Municipality has announced a plan to upgrade the City’s sewage infrastructure which will hopefully bring about an end to ongoing sewage leaks.
Speaking at a media briefing yesterday, eThekwini Municipality manager, Musa Mbhele, said the entire network would be upgraded.
“We do have a budget set aside to deal with sewer outbursts. So far, the team has improved in terms of serving these areas. The response generally has been very quick, much quicker that normal standards,” he said.
Mbhele said the City needed long-term interventions and an overhaul of the entire network.
He said the budget allocated to deal with water treatment challenges wasn’t sufficient and there was a need to look at innovative ways to get more money.
“Through the partnership with the Durban Chamber of Commerce and Industry, we have engaged with the office of the Presidency on a business plan and there will be more financial support to assist us in dealing with the challenges. We are also inviting a number of private sector players who have raised their hands to support,” he said.
Mbhele said details of these plans would be released once finalised.
Meanwhile, Mbhele said Durban Solid Waste staff embarking on wildcat strikes would be held accountable for their actions.
Mbhele said the city was initiating a consequence management process to deal with staff engaging in protest action.
“We are going to take tough action against those people, because we don’t believe that our residents must be exposed to that behaviour,“ he said.
City mayor, Mxolisi Kaunda, added that with regards to waste management, they had heard the concerns raised by the business community and by residents.
“We have since introduced a targeted approach to rid our city of grime and filth. For instance, in each street in the inner city, we have deployed dedicated teams that are going to pick up litter and sweep the streets in shifts.
“This is going to be complemented by area managers doing inspections during their shifts in the areas they are supervising. We have also embarked on an intensive communication campaign to encourage residents to clean their environment,” Kaunda said.
He further appealed to business stakeholders, particularly in the manufacturing sector, to refrain from disposing of their waste in places not designated for this purpose.
“This behaviour blights the face of our city, blocks our storm water systems, and poses a serious threat to marine life,” he said.
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