Municipality addressing sewage leaks in Durban harbour

THE ETHEKWINI Municipality has said it is doing all it can to address pollution and sewage leaks into the harbour.

This after local eco-activists expressed their concerns regarding reports of crude oil and raw sewage flowing into the Bay and Durban Harbour over the festive period.

ALSO READ: Eco-crisis as Durban harbour is once again contaminated, say activists

Delwyn Pillay from Greenpeace, said the oil and sewage contamination of the Bay and further into the harbour by Wilson’s Wharf resulted in a number of fish being killed.

Pillay questioned the announcement of Blue Flag status for five of Durban’s main beaches, including uShaka Beach.

To gain the Blue Flag status requires sustainable adherence in a number of fields – highlighting that upstream water and rivers which feed into the ocean also have to be monitored with regard to waste and sanitation, which Pillay said isn’t being done, as contaminants flow freely into the harbour.

ALSO READ: 5 Durban beaches awarded blue flag status

Responding to a query by Berea Mail regarding sewage leaking into the harbour, eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said: “Our team has not received or investigated any new cases of crude oil spills into the Durban Harbour. While Municipal sewage spills are intermittent and from various sources, once they are noticed or reported, they are attended to with urgency. The last incident recorded was in December, and from the Amanzimyana Canal. This has since been resolved.”

Pillay said he felt this was a vague statement from the municipality, and a full pollution incident report should have been given.

“I take it that since the incident was resolved, the source of the pollution was located and identified, and that appropriate steps have been taken to prevent any further contaminants flowing into the harbour,” he said.

Following the article in Berea Mail last week, a reader sent a photo showing sewage flowing into the canal system at the new Point Development area last week.

He said the water quality was so poor he feels a very large fish population will perish, including sharks, grunter and many
different species of fish.

Rynhard du Plessis from the Save Durban Harbour Facebook page has also reported continued sightings of sewage near the harbour and mangroves area.

Transnet urged anyone living near its pipelines to report any suspicious activities in the area of the block valve chambers or near pipeline markers to contact the Transnet Pipelines toll free number on 0800 203 843, to prevent further oil leaks.

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