POLLUTION in the uMbilo River prompted Queensburgh residents to unite and take action by urging the city to end what they are describing as the ‘ecocide of the uMbilo River’.
Delwyn Pillay is an environmental activist and Greenpeace Africa volunteer from Queensburgh.
He said living approximately 2kms away from the water treatment plant in the Northdene area had inspired his campaign to save the river.
“I started the petition about three weeks ago,” said Pillay. “Within the first week we had already reached the target of 1000 signatures.”
“The main plan for the petition was to put pressure on the authorities to take steps. We also put a list of demands on the petition post,” he said. The group has engaged the eThekwini Municipality.
“We are now just waiting for the outcome of all those meetings, to compare any results to our list of complaints, and see if they are going to meet any of our demands,” said Pillay.
“If not we will send through the petition,” he said.
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Along with the petition Pillay is hoping that the work being done in the community will result in increased engagement with authorities.
“In the meantime we will keep collecting signatures and raising awareness of this important issue,” he said.
Residents in the Mosley, Escombe and Northdene areas of Queensburgh say they can smell the contamination in the river as soon as they arrive back from working in other parts of the city.
Sandra Streak, whose home is close to the river’s bank, said she works in Kloof and can smell the river as soon as she drives into the area.
“It smells like sewage some days,” she said.
On July 11, rainstorms caused the river to flow more quickly and Streak shared images which indicated the river seemed to be running pitch black.
“The river is the main water source for the Roosfontein Nature Reserve supporting much flora and fauna which is at serious risk with the sewerage and chemical pollution,” said Streak, who has become a passionate advocate for the environment within her community.”
Roosfontein Nature Reserve is a protected nature area in Durban.
Threatened protected species such as the Dwarf Chameleon and Tephrosia inandensis are found in the reserve.
The reserve is also one of the few examples of North Coast Grassland.
Pillay explained that the uMbilo river stretches far further than just the suburb in Durban which shares its name.
“The uMbilo River is a river system in KwaZulu-Natal which rises in Kloof to the west of the city,” he said.
The river flows through the greater Queensburgh area on its way to the suburb of Umbilo. It then flows downstream towards its mouth situated in Durban harbour.
Pillay described how ongoing frustration informed the community’s plans to take action.
“The ongoing uMbilo River pollution resulted in residents galvanising to form the “uMbilo River Watch” group to monitor and report the river pollution incidents,” he said.
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Pillay said the river has an important impact on environmental health of the greater eThekwini area.
“The pollution of this river system has serious environmental and human health issues,” said Pillay.
“The river canals run into the Durban port at Bayhead through Maydon Wharf, the site is listed as a natural heritage site, a 20 hectare nature reserve of mangrove forest and coastal grassland within the industrial area of Durban Bay.”
“The reserve is a remnant of what was once the largest mangrove swamp in the province,”said Pillay.
The river has been experiencing problems for many years now.
To add your voice to this campaign sign this petition:Petition link
To join the monitoring whatsapp group follow this link: uMbilo Watch Chat Group
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