Jetting machines to help alleviate sewage spills

BLOCKAGE SOLUTION?: Visser engineer Christo Coetzee showing Wongama Gela how a jetting machine is operated during a handover at the Chris Hani District Municipal fleet management premises in Komani on Tuesday Picture: ABONGILE SOLUNDWANA

Two trucks worth R6.2m to deal with constant blockages

With two brand new jetting trucks worth R6.2m, the Chris Hani District Municipality (CHDM) is confident it will improve its service delivery as far as sewage blockages are concerned, an issue which has been ailing the community due to the ageing infrastructure and expanding pollution.

The two tucks were handed over at CHDM fleet management premises in Komani.

CHDM mayor Wongama Gela said: “We have no doubt that the two machines will make an impact as far as service delivery is concerned in the district, particularly with response times to sewage spillages.”

Gela said jetting machines had a number of features that would make an impact in areas with ageing infrastructure in particular.

“We were relying on service providers to provide services for us, where supply chain management processes were followed before appointments were made.

“But with the new equipment, we will not require service providers. This means we will cut on the administrative processes to be undertaken,” Gela said.

Furthermore, the mayor said this would generate savings for the institution.

He added that part of strengthening CHDM’s internal capacity would include training 16 employees who will operate the machines.

“As part of the R6.2m we have spent, we will train current drivers who will come from across the district municipality’s satellite offices.

“At this point we will not be employing any new operators,” the mayor said.

CHDM water and sanitation services senior manager Moses Shasha said there were currently 16 towns in the district. This meant the two trucks would mainly be assisting in the more heavily- populated towns such as Queenstown and Cradock.

“The jetting machines are expected to bring relief from problems caused by population explosion and aging infrastructure. We will dedicate a week to those small towns to clean the lines.

“What causes the blockages is foreign material which people do not want and dump in the drain.”

Manufacturing company, Short’s Nissan’s Carolize Short said the jetting machine was a four-in-one machine.

“The one pipe goes through the line where it sprays water into the blocking content to try and unblock it by swivelling whatever is down the line.

“The vehicle has a vacuum on the other line which will suck out whatever is swivelled down there.

“The vacuum can pull in quite big items like rocks. It is quite powerful.”

Short added that the content was then pushed to the tank where the machine compressed it before offloading the debris material at the dumpsite.

“So you have a truck, a jetting machine, a compressor, and a honey-sucking machine all in one.”

Boxer is one of the businesses that has been affected by sewage spillages from time to time.

Basil Arseniou said: “It is truly a step in the right direction.

“We property owners who from time to time experience serious sewage overspill from blocked main sewer lines and are thrilled by these new acquisitions by Chris Hani.

“We can only hope and pray they will indeed be maintained in line with their maintenance plans and are operated by fully trained and qualified personal.

“Well done to the Chris Hani team.”

Queenstown Civic and Ratepayers’ Association chairperson Aloisius Alexander said: “We are happy that CHDM bought the machines. It means we are trying to improve the lives of the people in Chris Hani.

“The jetting machine means we do not have to source outside contractors.”

 

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