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The City of Cape Town says it will start with a project to help rid the Milnerton Lagoon of pollution. The lagoon is often used by kayakers, as well as children who swim in the dirty water, one community member said at a meeting last week. PHOTO: RICHARD ROBERTS
MILNERTON LAGOON POLLUTION: CITY TO UNDERTAKE MASSIVE REHABILITATION PROJECT TO CLEAR LAGOON
A blue lagoon soon? RICHARD ROBERTS @richardjohn_rj
P
ollution of the Milnerton Lagoon – an ongoing problem for several years now – might soon be a thing of the past, thanks to intervention by the local municipality. The City of Cape Town announced last week that it is about to undertake an enormous project that will help clear the lagoon of pollution – a large part of which appears to be raw sewage, according to residents. The first part of the so-called rehabilitation project is said to start in early 2018. At a public meeting held at the Milnerton Library on Wednesday last week, Mayco member for Area North, Suzette Little, said that the pollution of the lagoon has been an
issue for some time now and that residents have complained to her personally on numerous occasions. To date more than 50 meetings have been held between residents and City representatives. An amount of R3 million from this financial year’s budget had been set aside to help prevent further decay. Eduaan Albertyn and Mark Brodovcky, two representatives from the City’s Water and Sanitation Department, told residents at the meeting that they have identified two hotspots in the storm water system causing the pollution of the Milnerton Lagoon. “These hotspots are the Erica Road storm water outlet, and the other one is the Theo Marais Park storm water outlet. These outlets both have high counts of E. coli and the quality of water is very poor,” they said.
They said waste water in Joe Slovo Park overflowing and eventually ending up in the storm water pipes is the result of the poor water quality. “We have the same scenario near Phoenix,” the two said. The plans are to upgrade the existing sewer pipes and to divert the storm water pipes by means of installing what is called a storm water diversion chamber – a device similar to the one in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch, where the project has already achieved success. The widening of the pipes will also ensure better flow and prevent further blockages. The project will be conducted in three phases, the engineers said. “We are in the process of speaking to a consulting company and then we will appoint
a contractor. “The construction will commence early next year, with June 2018 being the expected date of completion,” Albertyn said. Bonginkosi Madikizela, acting leader of the DA in the Western Cape, said in a statement released on Friday that the party is delighted with the launch of the multifaceted project to completely rid the Milnerton Lagoon of pollution. “The mega project is estimated to cost around R161 million in total when the final phase starts in 2020. “This project of the City will once and for all rehabilitate this landmark and ensure that it poses no health risk to the community and can be enjoyed by all,” he said. V What is your opinion on this article? Let us know at briewe@tygerburger.co.za.