The City of Cape Town has started construction on the second phase of its Cape Flats 3 Bulk Sewer (CF3) project.

The contractor will soon be setting up their site offices in the vicinity of Yusuf Gool Boulevard in Rylands and starting with the test holes along the proposed pipe route.

The CF3 is a critical component of the City’s sewer network and serves a population of approximately 350 000 residents in the Bonteheuwel, Heideveld, Manenberg, Gugulethu and Nyanga areas.

This project forms part of the City’s Sanitation Master Plan, which comprises infrastructure enhancement of the sewer reticulation system, and will ultimately be completed by the end of 2017 at a total cost of approximately R280 million.

The construction of the second phase of the CF3, and the extra capacity this will provide, will allow the City to periodically decommission other sewer infrastructure in the area for much-needed maintenance and rehabilitation during problems such as blockages.

The second phase of the CF3 will be constructed below ground, with the greater part thereof being situated in close proximity to or within existing roadways.

In addition, new construction technologies that do not require the digging of trenches are being used to limit the inherent disturbance caused by construction work.

“The City is pleased that the project can now proceed. It will ensure that we have sufficient capacity in our sewer network to limit the impact of blockages, says Ernest Sonnenberg, the City’s Mayoral Committee Member for Utility Services.

“However, I would also like to call upon our residents to refrain from disposing of items into their sinks and toilets that could block up the network. Common causes of blockages are rags and cooking fat/grease. We need the cooperation of residents to ensure that unpleasant surcharges as a result of blockages are minimised,” he concludes.