Tuesday, 25 August 2026
uMngeni-uThukela Water notes and acknowledges complaints from residents of Sobantu under the Msunduzi Municipality regarding a strong and persistent unpleasant odour emanating from the vicinity of the Darvill Wastewater Treatment Works (WWTW).
The odour problem is primarily due to challenges that have been experienced in the Plant’s sludge treatment and management processes. Failures affecting both the primary treatment and sludge digestion processes have compromised the plant’s ability to sufficiently digest and stabilise sludge, resulting in poor-quality sludge being discharged onto the sludge lands.
A number of interventions have been initiated to address these challenges and restore the affected processes to full operational capacity. Immediate measures are being implemented to mitigate and reduce the odour challenge, while short- to medium-term interventions are focused on repairing and restoring the affected equipment and processes.
UUW sincerely apologises to the affected community for the inconvenience and discomfort caused by the odour and recognises the legitimate concerns raised by residents.
uMngeni-uThukela Water values its relationship with the Sobantu community and surrounding areas. We understand the importance of operating our wastewater treatment facilities in a manner that minimises nuisance conditions for surrounding residents.We regret the current conditions and assure residents that the necessary corrective measures are being pursued with urgency to resolve the challenges, restore the affected processes and prevent a recurrence of the odour problem.
