Bloom vows to tackle decaying water infrastructure and sewage pollution

Deputy Minister Jack Bloom has launched a campaign to confront failing water infrastructure and the sewage pollution it causes, saying volunteer clean-ups alone will not solve the problem. According to The Citizen, Bloom warned that a large share of municipal wastewater treatment plants are in critical condition and regularly spilling sewage into rivers.

Scope of the problem

According to The Citizen, 396 of 848 wastewater treatment plants are in critical condition and are spilling sewage into rivers. The Citizen also reports that a substantial portion of water supply systems face high microbiological risk.

Examples of municipal failures

According to The Citizen, Bloom described long-running leaks he observed in Mogale City on the West Rand. He said that after a three-year leak at the Dan Pienaarville reservoir had wasted R5 million of water, “They rushed a repair to the three-year leak at the Dan Pienaarville reservoir that’s wasted R5 million of water, but it only lasted two days.” The Citizen quoted Bloom adding that a later repair was better but he would wait to see if it holds.

Campaign and proposals

According to The Citizen, Bloom launched the Mandela Month Clear Rivers Campaign at the Apies River in Pretoria, which he described as “a toxic river, poisoned by effluent from industries and broken wastewater treatment plants.” He stressed that volunteer clean-up drives are valuable but cannot substitute for systemic repairs and stronger enforcement.

Bloom proposes creating a registry of environmental offenders and increasing accountability for municipalities and corporations. The Citizen reports he called for greater community involvement and stronger enforcement to address recurring sewage discharges.

Legal and financial context

According to The Citizen, 96 active criminal cases related to sewage violations involve 53 water service authorities across all nine provinces. The Citizen also reported estimates that national funding needed to repair or upgrade water infrastructure ranges between R400 billion and R900 billion.

According to The Citizen, the government allocated more than R14 billion in the 2023/24 budget to address municipal water infrastructure backlogs. The Citizen also notes the Potsdam wastewater treatment works in Milnerton is the subject of a R5.2 billion upgrade.

Community testing and accountability

According to The Citizen, AfriForum plans to conduct extensive testing of drinking and wastewater in areas this month to hold local government accountable. The Citizen quoted AfriForum’s manager of environmental affairs saying the organisation will submit test results to municipalities and inform communities should results fail to meet standards.

What comes next

According to The Citizen, Bloom said he is prioritising these issues and will visit other provinces as part of the campaign. He emphasised that stopping the root causes of dirty rivers will require both community action and systemic fixes, not only clean-up efforts.