Where municipalities nurture their internal technical expertise and commit the necessary funding to wastewater treatment, they can rely on a range of specialised input from consulting engineers to help get treatment plants running optimally.
SRK Consulting has applied its engineering and scientific expertise to municipal, provincial and national water projects for decades and is currently working on 10 wastewater treatment projects in Gauteng. The condition of the treatment plants we are seeing varies widely between municipalities. While some plants continue to function well, others are non-operational for a variety of reasons.
The main concern is that substandard operation means effluent is not properly treated before it leaves the plant. This raises the risk of contamination as the water enters natural watercourses and flows downstream - potentially posing health risks to residents and hazards to the environment.
