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GEORGE MUNICIPALITY PILOTS ON-SITE SANITATION TECHNOLOGY IN INFORMAL SETTLEMENTS TO REPLACE CHEMICAL TOILETS

The George Municipality’s drive to improve the quality-of-service delivery is yielding good results said the Executive Mayor of George, Alderman Leon van Wyk after visiting two pilot projects in Syferfontein, an informal settlement South of Pacaltsdorp, aimed at introducing alternatives on-site sanitation technology in informal settlements to replace chemical toilets.

“Today we went on-site to Syferfontein to view the pilot project of a new technology toilet instead of the chemical toilets,” said Mayor van Wyk during his visit on Thursday, 13 April 2023. “These new toilets get erected on-site and make use of enzymes to dissolve solids and it also makes use of water, so there’s a water flush mechanism that is able to drain away into tanks underneath the ground and this improves the whole service routing where previously chemical toilets had to be serviced two to three times a week, this type of toilet would only require servicing once a month.”

George Municipality solicited proposals from suitably experienced service providers to implement a pilot project for alternative on-site sanitation technology in Informal Settlements to replace chemical toilets. The hiring and maintenance of chemical toilets is an expensive and unsustainable sanitation commodity which is unfortunately also the quickest method to respond to when an emergency situation presents itself.

It was thus imperative that sustainable alternative sanitation solutions be tested to replace chemical toilets in informal settlements where there is no sewer network and to alleviate the heavy financial burden on the Municipality and the Department of Infrastructure.

The Human Settlements, Planning and Development and Property Management Directorate of the George Municipality confirmed that this is a pilot project which will be tested for three months and the sanitation solution which is found to be most successful and sustainable will be extended to other informal settlement areas in the George Municipal precincts. “For this pilot project, we will be installing 3 different alternative sanitation units in Syferfontein, three in Wilderness Heights Informal Settlement and 9 units in Thembalethu in various Settlements,” said Lauren Waring, the department’s director.

Ends.

PHOTOS:

Photo 1: From left: Charne Floris (George Municipality Human Settlements), Brumilda Kirchner (George Municipality Human Settlements), Councillor Bazil Petrus (Portfolio Councillor for Human Settlements), Madoda Boke (Clerk of Works: Human of Settlements) Jurgen Graupe (Buffalo Tanks (Pty) Ltd, Alderman Leon van Wyk (Executive Mayor of George) Wendy Mentor (Manager Human Settlements) Mxolisi Ngwane (Racing Heart Group (Pty) Ltd), Siegfried Graupe (Buffalo Tanks) Lehlohonolo Mandlazi (Racing Group (Pty) Ltd.

 


Photo 2: From left: Councillor Bazil Petrus (Portfolio Councillor for Human Settlements), Wendy Mentor (Manager of Human Settlements), Alderman Leon van Wyk (Executive Mayor of George) and Jacques Rust (Envirosan).