Since August 2023, the City of Cape Town’s Waterand Sanitation Directorate, has attended to 12 major sewer collapses in Montague Drive, Milnerton. These collapses occurred successively, and at multiple points in the 50-year-old 900mm fibre cement bulk sewer pipeline, which runs underground at a depth of five metres.
After the first collapse, the City immediately started with a scoping exercise and appointed a contractor to assist with emergency repairs to the sewer. Subsequently, 12 collapses occurred between August 2023 and January 2024, which have all been repaired.
During excavation and installation, the City over-pumped (i.e. by-passed the obstruction) to help minimise sewer spillages. Super suckers were used when needed to clear the pipe of sand, rocks, and debris. Work on site continued 24 hours a day, seven days a week to expedite repairs.
As a result, all collapses have been repaired and backfilling completed. Water and Sanitation and Roads and Infrastructure Management teams are now working together to ensure that the road is fully restored. The primary objective of the collaboration is to guarantee that the end product meets the infrastructure's lifecycle requirements and is robust on both ends.
It is projected that road restoration will be completed by the end of April 2024. Thereafter, traffic will be allowed to resume safely on the route.
On Tuesday, February 20, 2024, the City held a public meeting to inform local residents and businesses directly impacted about new developments and advancements achieved thus far.
‘Considering the scale of the collapses which took place in a short period of time along Montague Drive, the progress made thus far is significant. The City remains committed to working promptly towards road reinstatement and full rehabilitation as the immediate next step.
‘The City is also rehabilitating the Montague Drive Bulk Sewer to provide a more complete and long-lasting solution. Construction of a new Montague Bulk Sewer Pipeline is an ambitious project that will cost approximately R474 million. By 2025, it is anticipated that the 4km sewage line will be operational, established through cutting-edge micro-tunnelling technology. Once in place, sewage can then be diverted and the current bulk sewer in Montague Drive also rehabilitated’, said the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Water and Sanitation, Dr Zahid Badroodien - MMC Water and Sanitation - City of Cape Town.
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