City of Cape Town Water Strategy - Reduction of Sewer Spills and Socio-Environmental Impacts

Sewage infrastructure failure poses significant risks to human and environmental health. Despite a 25 percent decline in sewer blockages since 2020, the City of Cape Town continues to experience over 7000 blockages per month, which frequently lead to sewage spills in the City’s most vulnerable neighborhoods. 

This report explored the root causes of sewer blockages and potential solutions to challenges posed by sewer spillages. The report first detailed the impact of sewer spillages in the Cape Town context, focusing on their effects on human health and quality of life. The report also analyzed findings from three independent desk studies, international benchmarking, stakeholder interviews, and household surveys in four neighborhoods. Drawing on case studies from across the globe, the Capstone team highlighted best practices in three areas of interest to the City of Cape Town: public education, foreign object management, and organizational collaboration.  

Finally, the report outlined recommendations for consideration of the City’s Water and Sanitation Directorate, underlining four effective solutions to curbing sewer spills and their impacts. These include (i) establishing consistent metrics to measure the effect of educational campaigns, (ii) promoting cross-directorate collaboration between departments with linked functions, (iii) expanding the scope and scale of the Directorate's public education campaigns, and (iv) increasing economic incentives for waste separation at the neighborhood scale.