Alleged cable theft leads to sewage overflow on La Lucia beach

RAW sewage flowing from a storm-water outlet onto a beach at Lady Ellen Crescent in La Lucia is allegedly due to cable theft.

A video circulating on Facebook, showing the overflow running into the ocean, has angered north Durban residents.

According to Ward 35 councillor, Nicole Bollman, the recent heavy rains in April and then May caused severe damage to the pump station on Armstrong Avenue.

This led to an overflow which caused raw sewage to flow onto the beach.

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“The pump station in Armstrong Avenue was severely compromised due to the cavity being completely submerged in sand, silt and storm-water. No sooner had the system been cleared, and the second flood in May hit, resulting in a similar situation.

“The prognosis of the damage wasn’t good due to a variety of issues, which resulted in the system being unusable. The municipality then completed repairs to the pump station recently but were quite surprised to find out that the overflow onto the beach was stronger than ever – the cause now being that the newly laid cable had been stolen,” she said.

Bollman added that the municipality had committed to completing repairs to stop the flow of sewage onto the beach.

After the April floods, several Durban beaches were closed due to extensive damage of the sewerage network that resulted in sewage pollution in many rivers and the ocean.