THE ongoing issue with blocked and bursting sewage pipes in uMhlanga could cost the popular tourist beach its coveted Blue Flag status.
This is according to DA Ward councillor, Heinz de Boer, who last week expressed outrage after thousands of litres of sewage spilled onto the promenade and beach following one of many “catastrophic sewer bursts and blockages” in recent months.
“This is disgusting and a major health risk – with E.coli, cholera and other bacteria,” he said.
He added that if sewage seeped into the ocean the City would have to close off the beach, as was the case in February when a sewer pipe burst on the rising main. The beach was closed to the public for two days.
“This is a top tourist beach, and uMhlanga is one of the biggest locations in the country, after Cape Town, for international tourists. This is also one of the most popular beaches for joggers. Everyday we have thousands of joggers who use the promenade. Is this how we welcome locals and tourists?” he asked.
De Boer said he was disappointed but not surprised by last week’s burst.
“This happens all the time. There have been major developments in the area and there have also been a bunch of new restaurants that have been established in the uMhlanga area. All this brings along more cooking fat and water,” he explained.
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Speaking to the Northglen News last week, De Boer said he has submitted a notice of motion during a council meeting on 30 May urging the Executive Committee to consider conducting a full survey and mapping of the uMhlanga sewerage system and its quality and capacity.
The notice he said also included a proposal to replace all asbestos pipes in the area and to investigate the future capacity of the uMhlanga beach pump station.
However, his motion had been turned down, he said.
According to DeWet Geldenhuys of the uMhlanga UIP last week’s leak was reported on the Tuesday. He said municipal workers responded on that same day.
“They were back here first thing this morning to resolve the issue,” he said. The issue was officially resolved on the Wednesday.
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The trick, he said at the time, was to clear the blockage and then to send in a camera to determine where the burst was so that they could start the repairs.
Workers at the site told the paper they believed food fat and sand had cause the blockage.
Once the burst had been repaired the sand with faecal matter was scooped up and relocated to a landfill site, and the rest of the sand was decontaminated with soap water, said Geldenhuys.
The eThewkini Municipality had not commented at the time of publication.
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