KNYSNA - Several sewage management experts in the Garden Route district have concluded that footage from a video recorded in Knysna appears to show the illegal dumping of waste liquid by a honey sucker (sewer suction truck).
The video was recorded by a concerned resident on Monday 1 June at 13:59 in the Knysna area of Dam se Bos / Nekkies and sent to Knysna Plett Herald to investigate.
The publication approached sewage management experts who agree that based on what is visible in the video, the incident looks like the unauthorised discharge of effluent.
They recommend that a sample be taken immediately from the site where the dumping occurred to determine the exact nature of the substance involved.
According to the specialists, proper policy and regulatory procedures for waste disposal were clearly disregarded in this case.
The contents of a tanker truck (honeysucker) should be discharged at a designated sewage pump station or wastewater treatment works in a safe and controlled manner.
The experts noted that, during emergency operations, municipal policy sometimes permits the controlled release of sewer suction truck contents into a manhole.
This is typically allowed only when the distance to the nearest pump station or treatment facility makes it impractical for economic or time-related reasons. In such authorised cases, the waste flows through the sewer network to the treatment works for proper processing.
The Western Cape ministry for local government has forwarded the video to the Green Scorpions to investigate the matter. Comment from the Knysna Municipality is being awaited.
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