Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health [to] the Corporation of the City of Capetown.

  • Cape Town (South Africa). City Health Department.
Date:
[1929]
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Annual report of the Medical Officer of Health [to] the Corporation of the City of Capetown. Source: Wellcome Collection.

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    wet season the ground water level over a considerable area is very near the surface. In some portions there is standing water during much of the winter. The town is sewered on the “ separate ” system, stormwater being taken by separate channels to the nearest natural outfall, whether the sea or the Liesbeek and Black Rivers and their tributaries, which drain the “ southern suburbs ” north of Kenilworth, and flow into Table Bay as the Salt River. South of Kenil¬ worth the streams discharge into a series of vleis. Sewerage. There are several distinct sewerage systems in operation, viz.: — (1) The Capetown system, which receives the sewage from the whole of Capetown proper (Wards 2-7), and discharges it without treatment into the sea at Green Point Lighthouse. (2) The Sea Point system, which receives the sewage from Ward 1 and discharges it without treatment into the sea opposite Hall Road, Sea Point. (3) The Wynberg system which receives the sewage from Wynberg proper and Plumstead and discharges it at a sewage farm near Zeekoe Ylei. There are a number of areas in Ward 15 which are not yet served by this system and at Plum- stead there are a number of houses yet to be connected. (4) The Muizenberg system, which receives the sewage from Kalk Bay, St. James and Muizenberg and discharges it amongst the sand dunes on the False Bay shore. Lakeside and Retreat are not yet served by this system. (5) The Southern Suburbs system, which receives the sewage from Wards 8 to 13, and discharges its effluent into the Black River after the sewage has been treated biologically and by land irrigation on the Flats near Athlone Station. The construction was begun in 1916, prior to which date all these suburbs were served by pail closets; and the work is now nearly complete, there remaining in the sewered area only some 73 houses still to be connected (66 in Ward 11). This sewerage scheme is at present restricted to the developed parts of the six wards, the outer areas of Wards 12 to 13 being still served by pail closets. (6) A sewerage system for Camps Bay and Bakoven has been completed by the City Engineer since the end of the year under report, but the drainage connections have only just been begun. These areas, and also Clifton, for which there is still no sewerage system, are at present served by pail closets. Some of the houses at Camps Bay have “septic tanks. The new sewers will discharge the sewage into the sea after preliminary treatment in septic tanks. Pail Closets. The Corporation undertakes the weekly collection of stercus in the unsewered areas of the Southern Suburbs. It is gradually extending the service to the whole extent of the Cape Flats included in the Municipality. In parts this work is carried out with great difficulty by the City Engineer’s Department owing to the lack of roads. The men and wagons have to plough through heavy sand and bush, and, m winter, through water, to reach isolated places for the purpose of collection. In these circumstances oxen are employed for transport and the work is carried out in the daytime. Otherwise it is done by mules at night. A charge of 7s. 6d. is made for the first installation of a pail but no charge for removals The stercus collected in the various districts is deposited on municipal land at the Maitland Reserve, Yyge Kraal, the old Sewerage Farm at Wynberg Flats, and Raapkraal Farm, Retreat; and on private land between the Lansdowne and Otterv Roads. The number of premises from which stercus was being removed at 30th June, 1929, is shown by the following- fio-ures : — ^ n n Ward 11 Ward 12 Ward 13 Ward 14 Ward 15 Premises. 832 1.197 407 310 737 3,483