Louis Trichardt’s sewerage treatment plant is at present being forced to cope with almost twice its designed capacity.

The fact came to the fore during a meeting between the Makhado Municipality’s director of technical services and local ratepayers.

“The sewerage plant is being flooded. The design capacity of the sewerage works is 7,5 megalitres per day. What is apparently getting into the plant is 12 megalitres per day,” Technical Director Thivho Ralulimi said.

Ralulimi said that a service provider had been appointed at a cost of R11,5 million to make sure that all the equipment and all the units are operating.

“The MEC for Local Government has put aside R35 million ... they are going to access those funds for the job or work done. The service provider will submit a claim to local government. The R35 million will not come directly to the Makhado Municipality. We are going to do a module, add another module, which will take the 7.5 to 12 megalitres per day, in order to deal with the current situation,” Ralulimi said.

Through the municipal infrastructure grant (MIG), another R108 million will be made available to cater for future sewerage needs.

“Our internal reticulation is not coping, because time and again we have got sewage spillage. A Vhembe project which I think may go out on tender any time, will deal with the internal reticulation,” Ralulimi said.

Ralulimi also addressed the problem experienced at the abattoir in the industrial area. He reported that he was in contact with Louis Trichardt Abattoir.

The chairperson of the Soutpansberg Ratepayers Association, Mr Frans Prinlsoo, however, mentioned the predicament of the other abattoir whose pipeline goes to the pump station near the breweries.

The owner of the latter abattoir, Mr Philip Ludick, confirmed on June 7 that the situation s still disastrous.

“The drains are just not flowing. We had this situation for a couple of years, then it was better for three months, and now it is still in a total mess,” Ludick said.

The Madikor Louis Trichardt Abattoir, on the other hand, experienced a positive turn of events. The manager, Mr Chris Swart, said on June 7 that their huge crisis was over.

“We want to say thank you to the municipality. Last week our situation changed and our pipelines are open after a blockage of five months. Our sewerage goes through the first municipal manhole, but from there I don’t know where they are pumping it,” Swart said. The abattoir is planning to rehabilitate the grass once the weather is better.

At the meeting, the municipal manager, Mr Shadrack Tshikalange, said that the municipality was working on the Vlei pump station. Tshikalange asked Mr Ralulimi about the possibility of getting the same contractor who worked on the pipeline of the one abattoir to work on the line of the other abattoir as well. Ralulimi declined to reveal the name of the contractor to the meeting.