Steady progress is being made in the Vaal river intervention project, in Emfuleni, with much of the wastewater networks in Vereeniging having been cleared.

This has led to an increase in water flow to wastewater treatment plants.

“Before unblocking the sewerage systems, only 20% of wastewater could reach the treatment plants and 80% of it would be lost to spillage,” says East Rand Water Care Company (Erwat) MD Tumelo Gopane.

The spillages resulted in the pollution of the Vaal river, Gauteng’s most important source of water.

The Vaal river clean-up project started in October 2018, with the South African National Defence Force (SANDF) deployed for a year to repair the Sebokeng wastewater plant.

Over 500 offers from regular, reserve and specialist army engineer units and regiments were deployed on a rotational basis to provide a range of engineering skills to find solutions to the Vaal river contamination and clean it up.

The teams, under the stewarship of the South African Army Engineer Formation Headquarters, commanded by Colonel Andries Mahapa, followed objectives set out by the Department of Defence and Military Veterans.

The SANDF’s mandate was extended a few months, from November to January, and it is now preparing to exit the project.

Government-owned wastewater treatment specialist Erwat came on site towards the end of 2019, appointed to take over and build on the rehabilitation progress made by the SANDF between December 2018 and the end of November 2019.

Gopane says that ten contractors had been appointed and 117 local people from Emfuleni have been employed.

The SANDF engineers were required to desludge and clear the primary settling tank in the settlement chamber and humus tanks; repair a desludging pipe in the settlement chamber; unblock sewer lines and manholes; paint a rotational bridge that is linked to the primary settling tank; unblock community houses from which sewage was spilling; and maintain and or reinforce a security wall around a treatment plan.

The completion of these would enable the treatment plan to be fully operational.

During the deployment, the SANDF managed to unblock a clogged sewerage system, resulting in spillage, and a total of seven pump stations are now operational, with another 24 pump stations functioning but still requiring some attention.

Human Settlements, Water and Sanitation Minister Lindiwe Sisulu says her department is working to ensure that spillage in the Vaal river does not happen again.

“It has taken us a long time to get to this point – we know that the problem of spillage has been going on for an extended period of time.”

Sisulu visited the area in January to assess the progress that had been made by Erwat.

A follow-up meeting is expected to be held in June, when Erwat will provide details on the project’s progress.

Meanwhile, Gopane appealed to communities not to throw foreign objects into the wastewater pipelines and manholes.

He also called on the Emfuleni local municipality to enforce the existing and updated by-laws, and to educate communities, reiterating that the objects thrown into the system ultimately resurfaced and polluted the Vaal river.

Sisulu further appealed to the local community to ensure there was no vandalism of infrastructure such as pumps, the sewerage system and pipes.

“In as much as the community becomes frustrated with the services they receive, it does not justify damaging property or infrastructure that belongs to them.

“When communities vandalise public infrastructure that they are supposed to benefit from, it is like cutting off your nose to spite your face,” she adds.

Meanwhile, the Vaal dam’s water levels have improved significantly, following the intermittent rains that have fallen over large parts of Gauteng.

The latest report by the Department of Water and Sanitation estimates the dam’s water level at 76.3%.

The dam forms part of the Integrated Vaal River System, which comprises 14 rivers in different provinces.

The improvement of the dam’s level is considered significant, and follows a two-month shutdown of water supply for inspection and maintenance in October and November 2019.

During the shutdown, there were no water transfers to the Vaal river system, as the tunnel was drained for these inspections and maintenance.

The Lesotho system augments the water resources in the Vaal river system, which supplies water to Rand Water, Sasol, Eskom and many smaller users.