R50m Manenberg canal upgrade in the pipeline

A R50 million overhaul for the Manenberg canal is in a final design phase with construction set to start in November next year, says the City.

The project along a more-than-3km-long stretch of canal will curb water pollution with added sediment and litter traps while structural features will ease flooding, said mayoral committee member for water and sanitation Dr Zahid Badroodien.

“The planned upgrades are part of the recommendations following a conditional assessment, which determined that there were large amounts of solid waste in the Manenberg canal, coupled with other challenges such as extensive deterioration of the concrete panels and dense vegetation along sections of the watercourse impeding flow,” Dr Badroodien said.

A third of the stormwater infrastructure in and around the canal was also found to be in a poor state, he said.

The City says it discussed the project with affected residents in March last year, giving them a chance to comment on the plans, and further public meetings were held last month when the final detailed designs were presented to residents.

“Upgrading the Manenberg canal is essential to improving living and environmental conditions in the area. Widening the canal and the advancement of the structural design will ease flow and have significant advantages, especially when combined with measures to prevent waste from travelling further down the catchment,” said Dr Badroodien.

“The benefits derived by the community not only include flood risk mitigation but also improved quality of the stormwater that enters the Vygekraal River.

“Residents are reminded that correctly disposing of litter in refuse bins or at solid waste collection centres directly benefits the City’s waterways. Dumping in rivers, canals or littering within their surroundings is hazardous. It is a major factor in the costly and persistent challenges faced in managing water quality in the urban environment.”

Located within the the Salt River catchment area, the Manenberg canal is made up of the Silverstream and Vygekraal canals, each with smaller canal appendages. The canal carries stormwater and surface run-off from the surrounding urban areas of Surrey Estate, Manenberg and Gugulethu into the Vygekraal River. This then discharges into the Salt River canal and later into Table Bay, north of Cape Town’s city centre.