In September 2017 Thames Water workers made a horrific discovery in one of their sewers during a routine inspection. It was a massive, solid mass of FOG (fats, oils and grease) held together with wet wipes, condoms, nappies and sanitary products. Its smell was variously compared to festival toilets, decaying meat or a rotting whale. It weighed 130 tonnes and ran for 250 metres under London. It came to be known as the Whitechapel Fatberg.
The Whitechapel Fatberg became so famous that it was given multiple nicknames among them: Bertha, The Donald, and Piers Morgan. It eventually was christened “Fatty McFatberg” after a newspaper poll was held.
Origin of “fatberg”
“Fatberg” was first used to describe the rock-like lumps of cooking fat washed up on British beaches. However, it was hijacked by London sewer workers to describe the FOG deposits. It was added to the Oxford English Dictionary in 2015. (It is a portmanteau word combining fat with iceberg, in a reference to the hidden mass of substance below the surface).
Breaking up the party
Thames Water workers spent weeks breaking it the fatberg with high-powered jets and hand tools, a costly and difficult job. Fatbergs are a common problem in large cities; with New York City spending about $19M a year removing fatbergs from its sewers and London $2M a month. Fatbergs are being experimentally reprocessed and turned into biofuel in the UK.
How big was Fatty McFatberg?
To understand the magnitude of the Whitechapel fatberg it was described as being the length of two football pitches and the weight and size of 11 double-decker buses (or 19 African elephants). Its removal took nine weeks using high-powered jets, shovels, with the workers in hazmat gear to protect them from infection. The cost of removal was over £1 million (approx. AUD$2 million).
The Malabar fatberg
This week Sydney Water—as if it needs to keep up with Thames Water—has announced that Sydney has its own fatberg. Our monster has been hiding in the Malabar deepwater ocean outfall (or DOOF). Malabar is a bay south of Bondi and Coogee. Since fatbergs are measured in bus units it is estimated to be four-Sydney-bus sized (perhaps 3.5 African elephants). But we can’t be sure exactly how big the fatberg is because it has formed in a very inaccessible place.
If we need to find a name for our monster, my suggestion is the Malaberg but I am also keen on the Malabar McNugget. Looking forward to your ideas.
Poo balls
Now our fatberg although containing less buses or elephants than its Whitechapel cousin does have its own special power. Our fatberg has been identified as the mysterious source of the so-called poo balls (debris balls or tar balls to the more sensitive) that were first deposited on Coogee Beach in October 2024. Although Sydney Water denied any responsibility, the poo balls are thought to have been dislodged from the fatberg after large changes in pressure in the DOOF for instance after restarting the pumps after a loss of power. Sydney Water now accepts responsibility.
The end of fatberg
Exorcising the Malabar Fatberg is likely going to require shutting down the outfall and diverting sewage to a shoreline discharge to allow it to be cleaned out. This will have the effect of closing Sydney’s beaches for months (according to a “secret report” obtained by Guardian Australia). Other solutions will need to be sought.
By the way how did Malabar get its name?
I got into a debate with someone once about the origin of the name “Malabar”. It sits quite comfortably next to Maroubra and they sound as if they may be of the same origin. However Maroubra is named from one of the Indigenous clan leaders at the time of the European settlement — Moorooboora whose name was came from “muru” meaning pathway and “boora” meaning initiation ground). While Malabar is from the Indian state of Kerala, a major spice exporter. The link is not direct. A ship called the MV Malabar, a passenger coastal steamer, was shipwrecked in thick fog on rocks in April 1931 and then gave its name to the bay and area. Originally it had been called Long Bay (after which the Long Bay Gaol is named).