Hope for Elisenheim residents
Plans to prevent sewer smell
After many residents of this estate outside Windhoek signed a letter of complaint, authorities are working to solve the problem.
A buffer tank is expected to be erected next to the Ujams Sewage Works plant near the Elisenheim estate north of Windhoek as a solution to the unpleasant smells that residents have been experiencing in recent months.According to a letter that Elisenheim's management sent to residents this week, they convened a meeting with officials from the Ministry of the Environment, Forestry and Tourism, City of Windhoek (CoW) and the Ujams plant.
"As part of their long-term solution and to avoid a repeat of what happened recently, Ujams started to erect a buffer tank next to the plant. Their idea for this tank is to increase the storage capacity for extra inflow volume received when the plant is operating at full capacity. This in turn will create the opportunity for extra inflow that is stored and gradually fed into the plant production and prevent the use of the Klein Windhoek River," reads the letter, which adds that the buffer tank is still in the construction phase.
The environment ministry will reportedly closely monitor the construction of the tank.
Complaint
This comes after a letter of complaint circulated about two months ago and was signed by many residents of Elisenheim. The biggest issue was the smell caused by an alleged sewage spill and the fact that this "partially treated" sewage was dumped into the Klein Windhoek River.
“Join us in demanding immediate action to stop Ujams sewage works from dumping raw sewage into our river. Sign this petition to protect our health, preserve our environment and restore the quality of life in Elisenheim!” the complaint read.
CoW spokesperson Lydia Amuntenya responded to inquiries at the time and explained that the plant sometimes receives volumes of sewage that exceed the design capacity. The sewage is then dumped into the river and is apparently not fully treated. It is believed to have only been treated by the fine sieves and gravel removal and this partially treated water is then discharged into the river together with the fully treated water.
Network Media Hub saw an e-mail that the general manager of Ujams Wastewater Treatment Company (UWTC), Thomas Honer, sent to the municipality on 24 May this year. In this he explains that during the design phase of the plant the municipality decided to build a "dry weather buffer tank and not a wet weather buffer tank with more buffer capacity". The decision was apparently made to save costs. – [email protected]