LOOK: Cape Town's Urban Waste Management to assist with flood prevention
Cape Town city management reported on Monday that more than 250 000 tonnes of litter and illegal dumps were removed from the city's streets between July 1, 2021, and April 30, 2022.
In a press release, the City said that over 13000km of street surface was cleaned, 4200km of which was done by the city's Expanded Public Works Programme (EPWP) appointees for the City’s winter readiness programme. The City also reported that from January this year, over 1950km of roads were mechanically swept clean.
These efforts are part of an intense campaign by the city management to keep the streets and stormwater drainage systems clean and free from blockages going into the winter rainy season.
Video: African News Agency (ANA)
The campaign has seen the creation of 840 EPWP employment opportunities as well as a further 1160 positions focusing on 21 dumping hotspots throughout the city.
The City said that “these services improve the general state of our communities and turn Cape Town into a place where residents can live healthily, the work helps to prevent stormwater blockages as well as the flooding and disruption this causes”.
“It is very important to try and raise awareness of all the lesser-known consequences of littering and dumping.
“Many residents don’t understand the link between these actions and the flooding of our communities and busy roads. The city is doing its part to try and prevent this problem, but currently, there is just too much littering and dumping,” city management said in a statement.
Alderman Grant Twigg, mayoral committee member for urban waste management, implored residents and visitors to “please keep in mind that when you drop that packet or stompie on the street, the next rainfall will wash that into the drain where it will either flow out to our wetlands or the sea, or it will cause a blockage that could flood a road or people’s homes. Rather, keep the waste on you until you can find a bin”.
Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis asked communities to take more responsibility and avoid the blockage of drains after Cape Town was hit with severe rains and flooding recently.
“Residents also have a responsibility to help us. All of these toilet drains here are completely clogged with litter, and so every one of us, it cannot be pleasant, it must be absolutely awful water to live with this in your house,” he said.
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