‘uMngeni River situation critical for all’ says local paddlers
The eThekwini Municipality has said vandalism to the Johanna Road pump station led to the contamination of the river.
LOCAL paddlers and conservationists have voiced their concern over the health of the uMngeni River.
In recent weeks, the levels of E. coli have been extremely high and a section of the river, near Willowfield Crescent, was discoloured, with a murky, black discharge in it.
The eThekwini Municipality has said vandalism to the Johanna Road pump station led to the contamination. However, other areas with high levels of E. coli have also been flagged by conservationists.
Some paddlers, who are gearing up for the MyLife Dusi Canoe Marathon, said the contaminated river has also affected their training and, in one particular case, led to a serious infection.
Related Story: Concerns grow over health of Umgeni River
They now refer to the Blue Lagoon section as ‘Poo’ Lagoon due to the contaminated water.
Brett Challenor, who was due to complete his 20th Dusi marathon this year, alongside his daughter, Rylee-Kai, said he is unsure of what will happen next after his daughter contracted hepatitis A from allegedly paddling on the river.
“She went for a paddle with an experienced paddler on this lower stretch of the river, and didn’t fall in at any time but got terribly sick. It is really concerning because this has affected her this way. I’m still toying with the idea of doing the Dusi, but there is a great cause for concern. I think we all acknowledge that maintenance of the pump stations along the river are a problem,” he said.
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Fellow paddler and Durban North resident, Travis Wilkinson, who plans to paddle the Dusi with his teenage son, Scott, echoed Challenor’s sentiment.
“We’ve done most of our training in the sea. We’ve done very minimal paddling on the river and, if we do, we tend not to paddle past the Connaught Bridge, which had a terrible smell coming from it. Hearing about Brett’s daughter is tragic and, as a family, we are nervous.
“The uMngeni River is the lifeblood for so many. Even though we still plan to do the Dusi, the high levels of E. coli is worrying. I do agree that basic maintenance of the pump station demands more attention as the situation is not good for Durban. From a paddling perspective, we will see a drop in numbers, which isn’t something we want to see,” he said.
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