uMhlanga beach sewage spill contained
Residents report seeing sewage flow down the street into the storm water pipe which spilled out in to the sea.
UMHLANGA beach has been re-opened to the public after a sewage spill on Friday. It is believed a grader at a construction site at the beach nicked a sewer pipe causing wastewater effluent to flow down Lagoon Drive, onto the promenade before draining into the ocean.
Dewet Geldenhuys of the uMhlanga Urban Improvement Precinct said beaches from the Lighthouse to the Main Beach were closed on Friday.
“It was due to a burst sewer pipe flowing into storm water to the end of the pier and onto the beach and the sea. Some of the sewage mixed with the sand from the construction site. Municipal officials worked through the night to fix the pipe and finished repairs early on Saturday morning. The beaches have now been re-opened,” he said.
Beach goer and Umhlanga Rocks Surf Lifesaving Club member, Wayne Bradfield, said he was shocked to see the raw sewage flow into the ocean.
“As a regular user of the beach it was just shocking to see this running down the streets of uMhlanga and into the sea, especially at a Blue Flag beach. With new developments in the area we need to see better hazard control measures in place,” Bradfield said.
