Water infrastructure upgrade for Hammarsdale
The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
eThekwini mayor, Cllr Mxolisi Kaunda introduced the contractor, who will upgrade the Hammarsdale Wastewater Treatment Works, to the community, recently.
The R260 million project is part of the city’s concerted efforts to upgrade water and sanitation infrastructure.
In the current financial year, the municipality has allocated R2, 1 billion for this purpose. “We introduced the contractor, Stefanutti Stocks-WPCP Joint Venture, who will be undertaking the upgrades so that the plant capacity can meet the current demand. There’s going to be a social facilitator, who will ensure jobs for local people and subcontractors, and we urge residents to safeguard this project because it is going to benefit them,” said Mayor Kaunda.
The Hammarsdale Wastewater Treatment Works was originally established by the Department of Water Affairs.
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It was then handed over to the Umgeni-uThukela Water Board which undertook a substantial upgrade in order to cater for the industrial development within the area and in 2002, it was taken over by eThekwini Municipality.
The wastewater treatment works has a design capacity of 27 megalitres a day and receives sewage effluent predominantly from the greater industrial area of Hammarsdale as well as existing developments within the Sterkspruit catchment.
The very high organic and chemical loading of the sewage effluent has caused this plant to become severely derated, with the current process capacity being in the region of 8, 5 megalitres a day. This is among the reasons the city is undertaking upgrades.
“We have no doubt that the upgrading of this wastewater treatment plant will bring more development and investment in Hammarsdale which will create much-needed jobs,” Mayor Kaunda concluded.
The project is expected to be completed in 2026.
