Paul Jacobson, Hout Bay
“Cape Town may pump as much sewage into the ocean as it likes” – that is the declaration by the new Minister for Fisheries and Environment.
Previous Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and Environment, Barbara Creecy, recognised and acknowledged the environmental impact that raw sewage dumping could have. In this spirit, she upheld the appeal and she instructed the City to conduct a proper public participation process so that we can plan for a better way forward based on science.
It is very disappointing that suddenly the new DA Minister, Deon George, seems to have tossed science out of the window, ignored all the extensive environmental reports, which at the time the ratepayers paid for and to now allow unlimited quantities of raw sewage, for an indefinite period of time to be discharged, not only into the ocean but also into marine protected areas.
It is time that we have to rethink the stink, and rethink our sewage treatment options.
For unless we take the stink seriously and come up with solutions, Cape Town as an economic and tourist hub, will be doomed.
You are cordially invited to attend a presentation by experts in the field, where your questions and concerns will be addressed.
Hout Bay has been the centre of controversy and hype of late, and the community’s concerns need to be addressed. This is your chance to have your say.
Fact – there are three sewage outfalls, Green Point, Camps Bay, Hout Bay. Fact – All three discharge raw sewage into the sea. Fact – wherever the waste comes from, liquid or solid, the City is responsible for seeing that it does not pollute the environment. Fact – it is disingenuous to declare the water clean by just looking at it. Fact – Water and sewage infrastructure has not kept pace with the rate of urbanization.
You are kindly invited to attend our public participation discussion on December 3, at Kronendal School, Hout Bay, at 6pm.
Please note: The headline and aspects of the body of the article based on the premise that “the City may discharge as much sewage into the sea as it likes” is factually incorrect.
Despite the lifting of the discharge volumes in totality the City still considers the volume limits in our original licence as the limits against which we should be measured.
Section 69 (5) of the Integrated Coastal Management Act (NEM: ICMA) states that authorisations under the National Water Act (for which 20-year licences were issued to the City) continue to apply to discharge volumes at marine outfalls until new permit applications under the ICMA are finally determined.
This means that once the Minister applied his discretion under section 74(4) of NEM: ICMA to suspend current volumes stated in the permits now under appeal, the volumes contained in the 20-year water licences remain applicable, as they had also done previously for the several years during the initial consideration of the NEM: ICMA permits.
Below are the currently applicable volumes as per licences issued under the National Water Act:
Hout Bay: maximum amount of 3 934 700mᶟ per annum, based on an average dry weather flow of 9800mᶟ per day, plus a 10% storm water ingress provision.
Green Point: 16 060 000 m3/annum, based on an average dry weather flow 40 000 m3/d plus an ingress of 10% storm water.
Camps Bay: 2 007 000 m3/annum, based on an average dry weather flow 5 000 m3/d plus an ingress of 10% storm water amounting to 5 500 m3/d.
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