Cape Town: As the festive season continues, the Water and Sanitation Directorate of the City of Cape Town is closely monitoring operations at sewer pump stations, via a technologically advanced telemetry monitoring system. This proactive tool assesses efficiencies in real time to help in reducing the likelihood of sewer overflows during the busy summer period.
Reportedly, the telemetry system is installed at 404 out of the 487 sewer pump stations across Cape Town. In addition to maintenance teams conducting regular on-site visits to ensure pump stations are fully operational, this system has been in effect since 2021 by providing an additional layer of protection to detect early malfunctions.
What is Telemetry?
It is a smart design that includes a telemetry box installed next to each pump station control panel. The 24/7 monitoring capability detects unusual flow volumes and data patterns, operational irregularities, or system failures.
An alert signal is then sent to the relevant pump station maintenance official via cell-phone, for their urgent attention and investigation. This includes the early detection of high wet well levels, wet well overflows and pump trips.
The Digital Control Room Hub
Behind the scenes, the City of Cape Town has a high-tech digital control room that also operates 24/7, responsible for capturing and allocating service requests to the respective maintenance depots across the city. The remote team monitors the telemetry alarm system for the 404 sewer pump stations, 76 water pump stations and 79 reservoirs, ensuring rapid response times for urgent infrastructure repairs.
The pump station maintenance teams have also:
- Intensified their preventative maintenance efforts, including more frequent wet well cleaning.
- Ensured that standby teams are on hand to respond promptly to any after-hours emergencies.
- Established a 24/7 spill mitigation team to respond to any failures swiftly, to minimise environmental impact, especially for pump stations near beaches.
Member of the Mayoral Committee for Water and Sanitation – Councillor Zahid Badroodien said that they urge residents to work with them in ensuring the smooth operation of the sewer system and its infrastructure throughout the festive period.
As per Badroodien, by preventing illegal dumping of foreign objects which lead to blockages and practising responsible waste disposal habits, they can collectively mitigate against sewer overflows to fully enjoy the coastline, the communities and the outdoor environment without incident.
The City of Cape Town has taken all necessary precautions and is ready to continue delivering high-quality water and sanitation services throughout the increased demands of the festive season. By planning proactively and ensuring that a dedicated emergency response team is in place, residents and visitors can depend on reliable services all summer.