The Northern Areas Sewer, next to Jan Smuts Drive in Pinelands, has collapsed and is being attended to by City of Cape Town contractors.

The municipality says over-pumping is taking place and workers are now digging to unblock the sewer.

“A cleaning team has been deployed to wash and disinfect the roads and private properties affected by the surface flow of sewage,” says Ernest Sonnenberg Mayoral Committee Member for Utility Services.

According to the municipality this part of the sewerage network had been identified for rehabilitation in the next few months.

“The City is cognisant of the strain placed on its older sewer systems and, as such, the 64-year-old Northern Areas Sewer has been receiving attention since May 2013,”explains Sonnenberg.

The section that collapsed was earmarked for attention during Phase 2 of the project and, as such, was scheduled for completion in the next few months.

The current blockage has not affected construction, and the completed portion of the new sewer has not been flooded says the municipality.

Furthermore, the construction schedule going forward has not been affected. Once completed, the new sewer will substantially alleviate further risk of sewer overflows caused by structural failure of the sewer pipe or from lack of sewer capacity during times of high flows.