The Annual Inland Water Quality Report for Cape Town shows that urbanisation, sewage overflow and dumping are among the key reasons for water pollution in the city.

One of the key takeaways in the report noted that water quality in many areas was compromised. Informal settlements and the inadequate waste management in these areas are major contributing factors to this.

The report notes that runoff from informal settlements, where there is often a lack of an adequate sewage system, is a major cause for concern in the city’s priority water catchment regions.

 “Water quality in stormwater systems is, in many areas, compromised to levels where standard application of sustainable drainage system principles and other stormwater quality polishing/improvement approaches are unlikely to be effective,” the report noted.

It says only sand catchment, among the seven prioritised areas, is less affected by such runoff.

Meanwhile, solid waste accumulation, particularly in low-income areas, further exacerbates pollution.

“This waste passes readily into stormwater systems, from where it is costly to remove. It also blocks or is used to block sewers and pump stations, resulting in added watercourse pollution.”

The report recommended increased waste collection services in areas where this is an issue. It further noted that a unique way to address dumping and the consequences for it must the effectively implemented to prevent an impact on service delivery.

Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Zahid Badroodien, says community involvement will play a crucial role in this.

“All of us need to team up – the City, residents, businesses, industry and other spheres of government – so that together we can tackle inland water quality to benefit our community and environment.”

Other challenges

The report highlighted other challenges as well, including the management and coordination of stormwater systems. The current stormwater management system splits some river catchments across multiple planning regions. This leads to complications when projects should be implemented. Similar challenges are seen with sewage reticulation efforts because it is not aligned with river catchment boundaries.

“This again means that efforts in one part of a reticulation zone may be negated by a lack of coordination with upstream managers, or different strategies and level of effort in different areas,” the report stated.

City’s measures to address water quality

Efforts to address these challenges include the Mayor’s Priority Programme for Sanitation and Inland Water Quality and the Liveable Urban Waterways Programme.

Badroodien also says the City has allocated R2 billion for wastewater treatment upgrades and R1 billion for sewer infrastructure projects in 2024/25.

“Improving inland water quality is everyone’s business. The City’s initiatives are a testament that we are committed to addressing water quality challenges and investing in our sewer infrastructure, but residents also have a part to play in preventing pollution.”

Information on the City’s inland water quality is publicly accessible:

• Water Quality results: Public Inland Water Quality Dashboard.
• Monthly reports and raw data: Open Data Portal.