ActionSA in the Western Cape has filed an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) with the City of Cape Town which asks questions about the CoCT’s compliance with the conditions of the Hout Bay permit issued on 7 May 2019 by the then Department of Environmental Affairs.
This permit gave the CoCT permission to discharge 5000m3 (5 million litres) of effluent/sewage per day into the ocean for 10 years from the date of issue.
The process allowed by the Hout Bay permit is that raw sewage passes through two screens which remove particles up to 12mm in diameter. The sewage enters a de-gritter unit which removes sand and stone particles. The effluent then proceeds through two screens which remove particles up to 3mm in diameter, after which it is discharged via a 2162m pipeline into the sea.
The process does not include the removal of bacteria, viruses, chemicals or hormones. The sewage is pumped directly into a Marine Protected Area, declared as such in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act.
The permit places a number of obligations on the City of Cape Town, such as monitoring the quality and quantity of the effluent, surveying the pipeline, establishing or joining a Permit Advisory Forum, and submitting detailed plans and reports.
The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment recently found that the public participation process conducted by the City of Cape Town when applying for the permits to discharge sewage into the ocean at Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay was “inadequate, outdated and should be redone to give effect to the right to just administrative action.”
Minister Creecy has instructed the City of Cape Town to hold a fresh, comprehensive, public participation process, which includes inviting written responses, objections and/or representations and holding at least three public meetings in Green Point, Camps Bay and Hout Bay.
ActionSA believes that it is important, going into the fresh public participation process, that the public has a clear idea of how well the CoCT has complied with the conditions of the permit for the Hout Bay sewage process, which was issued in 2019 and has therefore already been in effect for over 4 years.
ActionSA will keep on fighting to ensure that Western Cape residents’ health, the environment and the tourism economy are protected.
ActionSA Files PAIA Application About CoCT Hout Bay Sewage Permit Compliance
ActionSA in the Western Cape has filed an application in terms of the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) with the City of Cape Town which asks questions about the CoCT’s compliance with the conditions of the Hout Bay permit issued on 7 May 2019 by the then Department of Environmental Affairs.
This permit gave the CoCT permission to discharge 5000m3 (5 million litres) of effluent/sewage per day into the ocean for 10 years from the date of issue.
The process allowed by the Hout Bay permit is that raw sewage passes through two screens which remove particles up to 12mm in diameter. The sewage enters a de-gritter unit which removes sand and stone particles. The effluent then proceeds through two screens which remove particles up to 3mm in diameter, after which it is discharged via a 2162m pipeline into the sea.
The process does not include the removal of bacteria, viruses, chemicals or hormones. The sewage is pumped directly into a Marine Protected Area, declared as such in terms of the Marine Living Resources Act.
The permit places a number of obligations on the City of Cape Town, such as monitoring the quality and quantity of the effluent, surveying the pipeline, establishing or joining a Permit Advisory Forum, and submitting detailed plans and reports.
The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment recently found that the public participation process conducted by the City of Cape Town when applying for the permits to discharge sewage into the ocean at Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay was “inadequate, outdated and should be redone to give effect to the right to just administrative action.”
Minister Creecy has instructed the City of Cape Town to hold a fresh, comprehensive, public participation process, which includes inviting written responses, objections and/or representations and holding at least three public meetings in Green Point, Camps Bay and Hout Bay.
ActionSA believes that it is important, going into the fresh public participation process, that the public has a clear idea of how well the CoCT has complied with the conditions of the permit for the Hout Bay sewage process, which was issued in 2019 and has therefore already been in effect for over 4 years.
ActionSA will keep on fighting to ensure that Western Cape residents’ health, the environment and the tourism economy are protected.