Sewage is high on the list of topics people would rather forget, but this system is integral to a functioning society, and if something goes wrong then ‘out of sight’ becomes ‘fix this now.’

If South Africa’s sewers function as intended, then the waste is removed from the home, it travels down the line and into a wastewater treatment plant (WWTP) unobstructed. With regular maintenance there should be no issue. This is however not the case, Sebastian Werner, managing director of Werner Pumps South Africa, says, “South Africa’s sewer systems take a beating. So much waste ends up in our sewer systems, waste that these systems were not designed to take.”

From sanitary products, to literal trash everything ends up in our sewer systems which is exacerbated by socio-economic problems.

“For illegal settlements with zero service delivery, throwing waste down a manhole seems like a better solution than leaving it out, unfortunately it isn’t great,” adds Werner. There is also the oft cited lack of maintenance on municipal infrastructure that allows build-ups to become serious blackages.

“On a recent project cleaning a primary settlement tank in Soweto, the backup was so severe that those on site couldn’t believe what we were sucking up through our trucks.”

Whatever is thrown into a sewer system stays there. WWTPs are not designed to filter out the sheer volume of waste that goes into them, and the vast majority of extra waste stays in the sewer line causing blockages. Werner explains “Blocked sewers need to be addressed quickly and regularly, and it is a dangerous task.”

Sewer cleaning safety

In 2024 three plumbers from the Ekurhuleni Municipality were called to unblock a sewage pipe, and in the process died. Werner adds, “Sewer systems are dangerous. They pose significant health risks to those who go into them, and the conditions inside require specialised safety protocols.”

Of course the best solution is to avoid people going into the sewer system, and for this Werner Pumps recommend their truck mounted jetting units.Werner says, “The ideal solution is to remove the risk to human life while still performing the job, using a jetting truck does just that. Modern trucks have built-in features such as gas monitors, and you can also customise your truck unit to ensure it meets the demands of the types of jobs you tend to do. There are also features available, such as remote operation, that allow operators to work from as afe distance, minimising direct exposure to hazards.”

These trucks represent a real solution to the dangers of cleaning a sewer. One of the features available is the ability to reuse water on the truck, constantly cleaning the debris, isloting it, and from this process the dry debris can be used for fertiliser production.

Werner concludes saying, “Technology isn’t just about making the job easier, which jetting trucks definitely do, but it is also about improving the safety of dangerous jobs.”