Cape Town's Sewage Treatment Crisis: Scientists Uncover Complex Web of Denial and Miscommunication

Urban water bodies, including rivers, lakes, and oceans, are under severe threat globally due to excessive sewage volumes, inadequate wastewater treatment, and the presence of new chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds that are not biodegradable. In Cape Town, South Africa, a city with 300km of coastline and multiple rivers and wetlands, over 40 megaliters of raw sewage is directly discharged into the Atlantic Ocean every day. This alarming issue has been extensively studied by a multi-disciplinary team, which has documented contamination risks in Cape Town's oceans, rivers, aquifers, and lakes over nearly a decade.

Key Takeaways:

The city's water treatment infrastructure is unworkable for a population of over 5 million people, and a comprehensive overhaul is necessary.
Conflicts of interest are inherent in the city's organizational structure, as officials responsible for ensuring water bodies' health are also contracting consultants to conduct research on water contaminants.
Real-time information and transparent data release are crucial for effective water quality management, as the city's current practice of releasing results a week or more after samples have been taken is inadequate.
Independent scientific bodies, such as the Academy of Science of South Africa, should be empowered to audit municipal science communications to ensure accountability.
Reputational harm to the science community must stop, as government officials denouncing independent scientists close down the culture of scientific inquiry.
The integrity of scientific findings needs to be protected, as cities prioritize marketing strategies over transparent science communication, risking the presentation of city-funded science as unquestionable.
Strong and credible public science communications are necessary to address the current science communication challenges in Cape Town.

Statistics:

Over 40 megaliters of raw sewage are directly discharged into the Atlantic Ocean every day in Cape Town.
The city has 300km of coastline, multiple rivers, and wetlands.
A multi-disciplinary team has studied contamination risks in Cape Town's oceans, rivers, aquifers, and lakes for nearly a decade.
Over the last two decades, large consultancies have established themselves as providers of scientific certification, raising concerns about the independence of their findings.

Sources:

Lesley Green, Professor of Earth Politics and Director: Environmental Humanities South, University of Cape Town
http://library.oapen.org/handle/20.500.12657/39424
The Conversation -- Africa -- By Lesley Green, Professor of Earth Politics and Director: Environmental Humanities South, University of Cape Town
Cape Town's sewage treatment isn't coping: scientists are worried about what the city is telling the public -- https://theconversation.com/cape-towns-sewage-treatment-isnt-coping-scientists-are-worried-about-what-the-city-is-telling-the-public-260317