STATEMENT BY THE CITY’S MAYORAL COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR WATER AND WASTE, COUNCILLOR XANTHEA LIMBERG
Yesterday, 19 June 2019, the City of Cape Town officially opened a new, state-of-the-art Faecal Sludge Management Facility (FSMF) located at the Borcherds Quarry Wastewater Treatment Plant.
The first of its kind in the world, this City-initiated innovation is a unique and fully automated system for cleaning, washing and disinfecting toilet containers; five times faster than the previous manual method. Additionally, it provides an improved working environment for staff while upskilling them for the operation of the equipment. Staff will be upskilled and trained by the contractor.
The City identified the need to build a new facility that would more efficiently and safely dispose of human waste, and clean the containers in a seamless operation. The City, in conjunction with its service providers and contractors, designed and built the specialised facility that has been in operation since earlier this year.
One of the most significant benefits of this facility is its water-wise design. Recycled water, produced at the wastewater treatment plant, is used instead of potable (drinking quality) water that was used by the old ‘manual’ system. This is an important factor for a water-challenged city. Other significant benefits are a reduced quantity of chemicals being used in the disinfecting process that results in cost efficiencies; reduction in odours that may negatively impact on surrounding areas; and the minimization of chemical and faecal spillages.
‘Efficient service delivery is what Cape Town is known for. While we understand the challenge of meeting the desired levels of service delivery, we always do our utmost to serve all residents. The City continues to do its utmost to enhance service delivery out of respect for its residents and ratepayers. While this is a positive achievement, we want to work harder to make sure every single resident experiences this reality. This is a challenge we must strive to meet, particularly in our informal settlements,’ said the City’s Executive Mayor, Alderman Dan Plato.
For the more than 160 000 informal households, the City provides and services just over 20 000 portable flush toilets, 7 800 containerised toilets, 7 600 chemical toilets and other types of sanitation that includes conservancy tanks and pour-flush toilets, among others.
The design of this facility offers a safe working environment for the 60 employees, with the potential for more jobs in the future.
Additionally, it is an innovative and efficient facility, offering improved sanitation to informal settlement residents. It has the ability to ramp up capacity for expected future demand.
Overall, the FSMF is a vast improvement to sanitation services to our informal settlement residents.
Source: City Of Cape Town