Komati Waste Water Treatment Plant - Steve Tshwete, Mpumalanga, South Africa

Komati Waste Water Treatment Plant is a municipal facility located in the Steve Tshwete Local Municipality, within the Nkangala District of Mpumalanga Province, South Africa. The plant serves a population of about 4,946 people, making it a small-scale treatment facility in a semi-urban area. As a South African wastewater treatment plant, it operates under the national regulatory framework governed by the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS), which sets effluent standards under the National Water Act (Act 36 of 1998) and the Water Services Act (Act 108 of 1997). The plant's treated effluent is discharged into the local catchment, which is part of the Olifants River system. This river flows through Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces before entering the Olifants River Gorge and eventually reaching the Indian Ocean via the Limpopo River. The Olifants River basin supports diverse aquatic life and is important for irrigation and domestic water supply downstream.

The plant discharges into the Olifants River catchment, which flows through Mpumalanga and Limpopo provinces. The Olifants River is a major tributary of the Limpopo River, ultimately draining into the Indian Ocean. The river supports a variety of fish species and is used for agriculture and domestic water supply. Downstream ecosystems include wetlands and floodplains that provide habitat for birds and aquatic life, making proper wastewater treatment critical to maintaining water quality.