By Charles Tjatindi
WALVIS BAY
The Municipality of Walvis Bay has assured residents, particularly those in Narraville suburb, that the situation at the Narraville sewage plant is under control, contrary to a report in a local publication that the sewage could overflow.
The announcement follows various reports in the region alleging that the sewage plant is on the brink of giving in, allegedly due to lack of maintenance by the council.
The reports allege that the sewage pump at the plant is outdated and could break down any time, which could lead to a sewage spill.
In an interview with New Era, Manager for Corporate Affairs at the Walvis Bay Municipality, Kevin Adams, refuted the reports saying they are misleading and create a wrong impression.
He assured residents that the council has been closely monitoring the situation at the plant and would carry out regular maintenance work.
“The situation has been exaggerated. There is repair work being done on the system, and the situation is not as bad as is being painted through those media reports,” he said.
According to Adams, a tender has already been awarded to a company that will upgrade the plant.
He said sewage overflow is highly unlikely.
“The worst-case scenario is that if the system fails to work, residents of this part of Walvis Bay would not be able to flush their toilets, and use the normal service associated with this system. Even in such a case, the municipality would be on stand-by to support them with water or anything they need in the interim. But like I said, the situation is far from what is being depicted,” he noted.
The influx of people to the harbour town has also increased pressure on the council to upgrade its services and infrastructure to meet increasing demand. This could be one reason why the Narraville sewerage system would need upgrading, Adams said.
“This system is close to 40 years old now. It has managed to support the suburb well throughout that time. But as people are moving to Walvis Bay permanently, it places huge pressure on the system. Look at Kuisebmond, for instance, that place has more people than the rest of Walvis Bay combined. Such is the situation,” he said.