Wetwipes leading cause of sewage blockages

The City of Cape  Town is appealing to residents to watch what they flush down toilets. 

This is after the City's water and sanitation teams have had to attend to 1 072 sewer blockages in Camps Bay, Bakoven, Clifton, and Sea Point from July 2023 to March 2025.

One of the main causes of these blockages was wet wipes being flushed down the toilet along with other items which do not belong in the sewer system.

During the 2023/2024 financial year, City teams attended to 585 sewer blockages, and in this 2024/2025 financial year, they have attended to 487 sewer blockages.

Identified causes of sewer blockages in Camps Bay, Bakoven, Clifton and Sea Point included:

• 26% foreign objects such as wet wipes, sanitary towels and nappies.
• 18% roots of trees
• 9% rags
• 6% fats from restaurants and eateries
• 8% other causes
• No cause was identified for 33% of reports. This could be a result of high flows due to rain which could have subsided by the time team went to site; a pump station failure which was resolved by the time of arrival on site, or even a blockage elsewhere that impacted several streets.

Mayoral committee member for water and sanitation, Zahid Badroodien asked residents to be mindful of the impact that improper household waste disposal habits have on the environment. "Help us reduce sewer overflows and prevent damage to infrastructure by only flushing human waste and toilet paper. We see an increase in the prevalence of wet wipes blocking sewer pipes in some areas. These should be discarded in the bin to be collected along with other refuse."

Audio: Zaid Badroodien

Despite continuous maintenance and rapid response efforts by the City, many of these blockages are preventable, said Dr Badroodien, adding that the volume of call-outs in these high-use areas raises serious concerns about ongoing irresponsible behaviour.

"I urge all residents and visitors to Camps Bay, Clifton, Bakoven and Sea Point - please do not flush wet wipes, nappies, sanitary towels, ear buds or any other foreign items down the toilet. These items do not break down like toilet paper and severely damage our sewer infrastructure. They increase the risk of blockages and overflows, which pose a serious threat to both the environment and public health."

Tips to help reduce sewage overflow: 

• Don't flush anything other than human waste and toilet paper. Anything else will block the pipes. 
• Use the City's solid waste services provided to get rid of your waste, not drains and toilets.
• Report sewer blockages and overflows using one of the City's official channels so they can be cleared in a reasonable timeframe.
• Report vandalism of the sewer system and stolen or missing sewer manhole covers.
• Use the City's drop-off facilities to get rid of recyclables