Elisenheim's residents sick of sewage stench
The Ujams plant currently discharges "partially treated" sewage into the Klein Windhoek River.
"The sewage gases we are exposed to are as a result of the dumping of sewage into the surrounding rivers. The smell is so bad that it wakes you up at night. No one can live like this!”This is what a resident of Elisenheim told NMH after the sewage stench of sewage reared its head again last week.
"In the past as well as more recently we have received numerous complaints about the smell from homeowners. The complaints are related to an odour allegedly caused by the dumping of untreated, raw effluent by the Ujams water treatment plant which the municipality owns and operates," said Le-Hugo van Rooyen, chief executive of Trustco Properties, adding that the issue had been reported to the Windhoek municipality.
Van Rooyen emphasised that the Ujams plant has no connection with the estate, Elisenheim Property Development Company (EPDC) or the Elisenheim Owners Association (EOA) and made it clear that this smell stems from the alleged raw sewage discharge by the Ujams plant.
According to residents, the unpleasant smell has been hanging over the estate since last week and the following message was shared with residents on a WhatsApp group: "They [Ujams] said that this morning they received an influx of more than double what they usually get and it was a bit more than the plant was designed to handle. So they had to let untreated water into the river again. There may be bad smells again. Hopefully not too bad."
Harmful to nature
A resident pointed out that this action can be harmful to nature, animals and underground water sources, and that the gases can cause numerous health problems such as headaches and nausea.
"Release sewage into the river, because the plant cannot handle it, cannot possibly be the logical solution! But still, it's as if everyone is innocent."
According to Van Rooyen, complaints were received between February and June 2021, as well as again in July 2022, October 2022, November 2023 and in May and June 2024.
"Both the EPDC and the EOA immediately reported these complaints to the municipality. They are not currently involved in this process, but only based on alerting the municipality about any problems on the estate arising from problems with the municipality's infrastructure," said Van Rooyen.
The spokesperson for the municipality, Lydia Amutenya, responded to inquiries, admitting that the municipality is aware that the volume of sewage received at the Ujams plant has recently exceeded the design capacity.
"The unexpected inflow of sewage, which amounted to approximately 1,238 m3 within four hours, posed a major challenge for our operations. This volume is almost 50% more than the plant's design capacity, which led to the engagement of rain mode protocols to manage the increased flow," Amutenya said, adding that it was unexpected and does not happen under normal circumstances.
Rain mode means that sewage is dumped into the river. According to sources, this water was not fully treated but was only treated by the fine sieves and gravel removal. The partially treated water is then discharged into the river together with the fully treated water.
According to Amutenya, the municipality is investigating the root causes of the issue.
"We understand the concerns raised by residents about the smell coming from the Klein Windhoek River and ensure that we take steps to tackle the situation quickly. Our team is committed to maintaining the highest standards of environmental responsibility and community well-being." – [email protected]