6 ASSOCIATIONS
Cholera outbreak shines light on poor plumbing risk
By
David Poggiolini for IOPSA
It is just a matter of time before South Africa experiences a very serious outbreak of cholera and other waterborne pathogens , such as salmonella , typhoid and hepatitis .
This is considering the critical state of the country ’ s waterborne sanitation system , which is being exacerbated by widespread illegal plumbing practices .
“ When assessing the risk of waterborne disease in the country , the focus is usually on the lack of sanitation and water infrastructure in the rural areas , townships and informal settlements . While this may have been the cause of previous and more recent outbreaks of cholera , illegal plumbing practices in the urban areas have also become a significant contributor to the onset of an imminent crisis . Over the years , there has been a marked increase in the number of illegal interconnections of sewer and rainwater systems across the country . This practice is a major contributor to the rapid deterioration of our waterborne sanitation system and urban water cycle , placing whole communities at risk of exposure to waterborne pathogens ,” Steve van Zyl , National technical manager of the Institute of Plumbing South Africa ( IOPSA ), says .
IOPSA members are qualified plumbers . They will , therefore , never connect rainwater gutters and gullies to stormwater drainage systems and will advise property owners against this practice when asked to assist them to do so or when they see these types of installations on premises . Many property owners of all sizes do not know that it is illegal to discharge stormwater into the sewer system , although this is not an excuse for breaking the law . In other instances , property owners deliberately choose to ignore warnings against the release of stormwater into the sewer system . They are aided by unqualified plumbers who do not know better or by unscrupulous operators .
Illegal house downpipe connection to municipal sewers is among the lead causes of stormwater inflows and groundwater infiltration into sewers in South Africa . It overwhelms entire waterborne sanitation systems , spanning collection and conveyance of sewage through to the actual wastewater treatment component . These were never designed to handle stormwater – and certainly not at the quantities that are currently being dispensed in sewers from the many roofs of houses in South African suburbs . They are already buckling under the strain of a significant growth in demand for sanitation services as cities continue to grow at an unprecedented rate . Certainly , lack of maintenance , inadequate planning and underinvestment in services delivery infrastructure as well as poorly constructed systems are compounding the problem .
During heavy rainfall , there are overflows and sewage spills from sewer pipes that are filled beyond capacity and from overwhelmed sewage pumpstations . WWTPs are also flooded , and the effectiveness of the biological process used to treat wastewater vastly reduced . This , ultimately , leads to higher pollution loads being discharged into adjacent river ecosystems .
Eradicating illegal house downpipe connections to municipal sewers will help to alleviate pressure on the country ’ s waterborne sewage system .
Poor enforcement of plumbing standards and regulations by authorities has provided an ideal environment in which inexperienced plumbers can operate without fear of repercussion , or for property owners to flout the rule of law .
© Plumbing Africa | Mari Macnamara
Steve van Zyl , National technical manager of the Institute of Plumbing South Africa ( IOPSA ).
Notably , regulating the industry is also one of the quickest and most cost-effective ways of making an impact . This is compared to
“.. almost half [ municipalities ] obtained a score of 30 % or less for their performance .”
www . plumbingafrica . co . za @ plumbingonline @ plumbingonline @ PlumbingAfricaOnline June 2023 Volume 29 I Number 4