Municipal employees assessed waste lines to detect faults that could be causing blockages during a recent Mother of All Clean-ups campaign.

TO resolve ongoing sewer blockages, eThekwini Municipality officials are using technology to locate faults on the manhole system. This technology was used during the Mother of All Clean-up campaign held in the Phsoenix, Inanda, Ntuzuma and KwaMashu (PINK) areas from 19 to 25 April. This is an integrated service delivery cleanup
where various units and departments tackle challenges plaguing an area. Head of the Area Based Management Unit Linda Mbonambi said service delivery is the number one priority for the Municipality. “We are exploring the use
of technology in fast-tracking the discovery of faults on Municipal infrastructure such as sewer and electricity lines,”
said Mbonambi. 

He said a team from the Wastewater Branch at eThekwini Water and Sanitation used Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras to locate an underground manhole that has been consistently causing an overflow at the KwaMashu Shopping Centre. “CCTV can travel just over 40 meters to spot faults. The use of CCTV facilitates the
fixing of faults that are a burden to residents. The use of technology to detect faults has proved to be effective,”
he said. Ward 41 Councillor Nhlanhla Sibisi said collaboration of a bigger team of several service delivery departments has seen an improvement in service delivery rollout. “During the clean-up campaign, the need to
stop illegal dumping by educating the community was highlighted. They need to learn the importance of disposing waste responsibly.”