Concerns continue about the water quality of the Berg River in Paarl and Wellington.
And this was again highlighted recently when landowners downstream near Wellington noticed what looked like untreated sewage effluent in the river, presumably for the Waste Water Works along the embankment of the river near Mbekweni.
Farmers were then advised not to irrigate with the river water, especially those exporting produce.
Landowners say the cause of this pollution was, once again, a blockage in an outflow pipe, hence an overflow causing a sewage outflow.
According to information the named sewage plant is in dire need of upgrading, as it is more than 60 years old and simply cannot carry the needs of the huge number of people the Drakenstein has swollen to.
But the short, and not so sweet, of it is – there is simply not enough money in the coffers of the Drakenstein Municipality for this very necessary maintenance work.
Eighteen months ago Paarl Post reported on a similar spillage during which a landowner had samples of the Berg River water then tested at a private laboratory, and two independent tests that were carried out showed the pollution levels of the river, the lifeblood for many agricultural industries as well as for human consumption, were unacceptably high, and bacteria such as E.coli were far above permissible levels.
Concerns also continue over Paarl and Wellington dumping industrial waste into the river as well as raw sewage flowing from informal settlements in, for example, Mbekweni on a large scale into the river.
According to irrigation farmers along the Berg River, the condition of the river is a time bomb waiting to explode if this issue is not summarily addressed.
Water from this river is used for the irrigation of approximately 23 000 ha of agricultural land, and this agricultural sector once again plows millions of rands into the local economy.
But if large-scale pollution occurs in the river, millions of rands could be lost if the foreign market refuses to buy products from this area.
In the 2004-’05 season, this was a real danger that the agricultural industry faced after foreign markets threatened to stop imports due to pollution in the Berg River.
In addition, the municipality does not disclose its reports of water tests to the public.
Director of Engineering Services of the municipality, Marius Wüst, said the recent “spillage” from the maturation pond was due to a blocked overflow drain on the maturation pond.
The chamber had been vandalised and boulders were thrown into the pipe causing the pond to spill over the access road. It is noteworthy that the water in the maturation pond is already treated, and has no “raw sewage”.
The maturation pond is the last stage before the water is allowed into the Berg River, Wüst said. “The situation is under control and the overflow drain chambers will be cleaned, repaired and covered with a non-metal cover slab. The quality of the water is also monitored for compliance and adjustments are made if required.”
He further stated the quality of the water is monitored at all the various discharged points, from the various sewage treatment works into the Berg River.
“The municipality takes the water quality of the Berg River very serious and will take the necessary actions to protect the river from pollutants.”
