The City of Cape Town has approved a seven-fold budget increase, from R70-million in 2022, to R400-million in 2024, and to R500-million in 2025, to upgrade pump stations and boost protection from loadshedding and combat illegal dumping into the sewer system.

The capital budget increases for sewer pump stations are planned under the Mayoral Priority Programme for water and sanitation.

By June 2023, the city will have installed permanent generators at 110 priority sewer pump stations requiring generation capacity, with around 30 more ear-marked for installations.

All 26 wastewater treatment plants already have permanent generators, according to a statement issued by the City of Cape Town on Wednesday.

The city has also installed early warning telemetric alarm systems at all 487 sewer pump stations to help detect faults.

As part of rapidly scaled-up budgets, over R100-million a year will go to generators and electrical maintenance to protect against loadshedding; screens to protect against foreign items in sewers; and security measures to combat ongoing theft and vandalism of critical infrastructure.

Major upgrades and refurbishments to priority pump stations across the city accounts for the remainder of planned yearly budgets, set to exceed R400-million by 2024.

“While we aim to end loadshedding over time in Cape Town, we are investing now to protect our critical infrastructure from the impact of sustained blackouts,” says Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis.

“Cape Town’s sewer infrastructure is under pressure from rapid urbanisation, and in need of upgrading. One of our first actions in office was to quadruple the city’s proactive sewer pipe replacement target, from 25 km to 100 km a year.”

The city is stepping up its pump station upgrade programme and its sewerage spill responsiveness.

Interventions include more specialised vehicles, hiring additional personnel and proactive clearing of the sewer system, adds acting Water and Sanitation MMC Councillor Siseko Mbandezi.

The city is also improving operations by expanding operational teams responding to pump station failures and conducting manual switching over to generators; procuring more specialised equipment to enhance sewer spill responsiveness, including mobile pumps and trucks with jetting and vacuum capacity to clear spills; proactively procuring spares every year to shorten repair turnaround times; and cutting procurement red tape through a new ‘framework’ tender in 2023/24 that will allow for accelerated expenditure.