Managing a sewage spill
Jul 21, 2006
SOMEONE else’s sewage could spill into your home! Yuck!! If not, what you do in your home could cause it to happen to someone else living further down the sewer line! Sewage spills are a big problem because they expose people to disease.
SOMEONE else’s sewage could spill into your home! Yuck!! If not, what you do in your home could cause it to happen to someone else living further down the sewer line! Sewage spills are a big problem because they expose people to disease, writes Jude Katende.
What are the main causes of sewage spills?
The clogging of pipes and or too much flow causes sewage spills. Clogging is caused by blockages from rubbish and grease in the sewer system.
Prevention of sewage spills
Overflows from sewer lines are costly to clean up.
Moses Bigabwa Bategeka, NWSC’s sewerage services manager, says, “In a typical month, there are over 180 spills reported in Kampala.†Many hotels and homes are big contributors of clogs. Regulations require restaurants and other commercial food handling facilities to install large grease separation devices to protect sewers from grease problems.
People in homes should take care not to clog the system.
What to do when you see a sewage spill
Make sure that people are kept away from the area of the overflow, typically a manhole cover. This is, especially important for children and pets that may play near the overflow area.
If stuff coming out of a manhole has ‘sanitary sewer’, it is probably sewage!
Note that sewage is brown or yellowish in colour. There are usually spills after a heavy down-pour. Report any spill as soon as possible to NWSC by calling 977, which is a toll free line.
What are the main causes of sewage spills?
The clogging of pipes and or too much flow causes sewage spills. Clogging is caused by blockages from rubbish and grease in the sewer system.
Prevention of sewage spills
Overflows from sewer lines are costly to clean up.
Moses Bigabwa Bategeka, NWSC’s sewerage services manager, says, “In a typical month, there are over 180 spills reported in Kampala.†Many hotels and homes are big contributors of clogs. Regulations require restaurants and other commercial food handling facilities to install large grease separation devices to protect sewers from grease problems.
People in homes should take care not to clog the system.
What to do when you see a sewage spill
Make sure that people are kept away from the area of the overflow, typically a manhole cover. This is, especially important for children and pets that may play near the overflow area.
If stuff coming out of a manhole has ‘sanitary sewer’, it is probably sewage!
Note that sewage is brown or yellowish in colour. There are usually spills after a heavy down-pour. Report any spill as soon as possible to NWSC by calling 977, which is a toll free line.