Heritage Cases

The activity is desirable in order to address an obvious general problem with pit latrines within a relatively densely developed area as well as the need to develop additional housing in the area. The proposed project will enable all houses and proposed development within the catchment to be connected to water borne sewer. The fact that centralized treatment is proposed doesn’t necessarily mean that problems relating to sewage contamination will be totally resolved within the area as; It is likely to take some time for all houses within the area to be connected to the sewer line. Sewer blockage in rural areas is a regular problem as people tend to dispose of items and effluent that shouldn’t be sent to sewer. The response time from the municipality is generally good however with blockages generally being cleared within 24 hours of reporting. Problems with centralized systems tend to be intermittent but can result in larger spillages than from individual systems although the cumulative impact of numerous pit latrines could be comparable. The main benefit of a centralized system within eThekwini is that responses when problems are found are relatively quick and contamination periods are usually relatively short. A general reduction in contamination from pit latrines is likely to occur from the proposed development. The proposed project will help to minimize sewage spillage and it should therefore result in improved surface and sub surface water quality. The proposed project will also enable additional housing projects to occur in the area. The proposed development will also improve the local water quality.