6 ASSOCIATIONS
Illegal plumbing installations compound SA ’ s sewage woes
By
David Poggiolini
It is estimated that about 5-billion litres of raw sewage enter our freshwater resources daily . While a substantial portion of this sewage is from dysfunctional wastewater-treatment plants ( WWTPs ) with only 2 % of these facilities operating at optimal levels , illegal plumbing installations are exacerbating the situation , which can be described as a national crisis .
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“ As plumbers , we still see many property owners , including homeowners , businesses , and industrial operations , discharging rainwater into sewers . This is despite it being illegal to do so . The National Building Regulations clearly state that no person will allow sewage , effluent , or any other objectionable materials to enter the watercourse . Most of the municipal bylaws also prohibit the practice of discharging rainwater into sewer systems so there is no ambiguity around the illegality of this practice ,” Brendan Reynolds , Executive Director of the Institute of Plumbing South Africa ( IOPSA ), says . IOPSA is the official mouthpiece of the professional plumbing industry with a strong membership consisting of many qualified plumbers .
As part of ongoing research , IOPSA inspected about 140 houses in an undisclosed Gauteng suburb to determine the extent of illegal discharging of rainwater into sewer systems in the country . Worryingly , between 30 % and 40 % of the houses examined by IOPSA directed rainwater into the sewer system , with many of the property owners unaware that they were on the wrong side of the law . It is a practice that is especially prevalent in new townhouse complexes where property developers , architects , or contractors lead downpipes into the sewer to remove rainwater from courtyards . This is a lot of rainwater that is being discharged into sewer systems , especially
The consequences of illegal plumbing . during the recent heavy rains that the country has been experiencing . Gauteng lately received between 50 mm and 100 mm of rain . Under these conditions , a house with a 10m x 10m roof structure will discharge 5 000L to 10 000L of rainwater from its downpipes . Complexes , factories , and commercial premises discharge significantly more rainwater . A large building with a 50m x 50m roof structure , for example , is capable of discharging as much as 25 000L of rainwater when there is 10mm of rainfall . This is enough water to fill five 5 000L water tanks in a matter of minutes .
Considering the findings of IOPSA ’ s research on the percentage of houses that comply with the law , one suburb consisting of about 1 000 houses can potentially discharge more than a million litres of rainwater into our sewer systems .
Raw sewage flowing out of open manholes is a common occurrence in many suburbs of the country during storms . This is because the sewer pipes have been filled to the maximum capacity for extended periods . Never designed to handle these types of loads , they are being placed under extraordinary pressure . This potentially damages the municipal infrastructure , including the manhole covers when they burst open . There have also been many instances where raw sewage has flowed onto properties and into houses causing severe harm .
However , the biggest risk posed by this raw sewage is when it drains into natural watercourses and eventually finds its way into the country ’ s rivers , dams , WWTPs and oceans . The Hennops and Jukskei Rivers , as well as the Vaal Dam , for example , have been heavily polluted with sewage because of the situation . Meanwhile , beaches in KwaZulu-Natal have had to close for extended periods during peak holiday seasons on several occasions due to elevated levels of E . coli in the oceans . Posing a severe health risk , E . coli is always a strong indication of sewage or animal waste contamination . Having to close the beaches to the public due to elevated levels of E . coli also has a large negative impact on the province ’ s tourism industry , in addition to its potential impact on the health of communities that reside within the vicinity of the contaminated water body .
According to a study undertaken in 2013 , 18 of the country ’ s 25 major rivers and one in five dams had undergone a process
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