TWO Harare City Council (HCC) workers conducting routine maintenance work at the Firle sewage treatment plant died yesterday from what sources attributed to inhalation of hydrogen sulphide, the NewsDay can report.
The deceased were sewage works attendants stationed at the plant in Glen View, which is the largest sewage treatment plant in Harare with a design capacity of 144 000m3/d.
Wastewater received from Greater Harare, discharged by domestic and industrial consumers, is treated at the facility.
In a statement, HCC said the National Social Security Authority was investigating the circumstances leading to the deaths.
“In an unfortunate and tragic incident, two City of Harare employees died at our sewage treatment plant in Glen View this morning while on duty,” it said in a statement yesterday.
“Police, the National Social Security Authority and City of Harare officials are investigating the matter.”
The Firle sewage plant produces common wastewater gases like methane, which is explosive when mixed with air and hydrogen sulphide, a toxic, foul-smelling gas.
A range of other toxic gases, including poisonous gases such as ammonia and carbon dioxide, can displace oxygen and cause asphyxiation.
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Additionally, gases like chlorine or ozone may be present if used for disinfection, as well as other toxic gases from chemicals dumped into the waste system.
Sources told NewsDay that hydrogen sulphide could have leaked from clogged pumps, while the two were conducting routine maintenance work.
“We lost two workers due to a gas attack, while trying to unblock clogged tanks at Firle sewage works. While conducting periodic maintenance work, the workers were trying to remove the grit that had choked the pumps,” said the source on condition of anonymity.
“The gas must have leaked. In wastewater treatment, when waste degrades, it forms hydrogen sulphide.”
In the wake of the deaths, the source added, the HCC human resources department and the superintendent at the Firle plant immediately informed the wastewater technical team.
“The technical team was informed by human resources and the plant superintendent about the unfortunate incident,” added the source.
“Where were the gas masks and gas detectors? These plants are dilapidated and need to be rehabilitated.”
The incident comes a year after thousands of dead fish washed up on the shores of Lake Chivero in what authorities attributed to bacterial poisoning sparked by the discharge of raw sewage into the water body, which supplies the precious liquid to the capital’s 1,5 million residents.
Wildlife, including three zebras, four wildebeest and four fish eagles, died as a result of drinking water contaminated with toxic cyanobacteria.
Harare City Council discharges 80 million litres of raw sewage through a dilapidated pipeline that runs from Amalinda to Firle sewage works into the lake.
