Beach closures in uMhlanga take their toll
The ward councillor says there would be fewer blockages if everyone took more care in the way they discarded waste from their kitchen.
THE uMhlanga Main Beach and Bronze Beach were closed over the long weekend – the reason – another sewage spill which caused elevated E. coli levels.
Bronze Beach was closed on Wednesday, April 26, a day before the long weekend commenced and the main beach, two days later, while the long weekend was in full swing.
The main beach reopened last week, and Bronze Beach only last Saturday.
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The area’s ward councillor, Nicole Bollman, said she reported the matter to EWS who immediately went to various sites to check for faults.
One was found at Broadwood and the other in Park Drive, which was reported and escalated. The actual fault was isolated to a manhole on Lagoon Drive.
“The flow from both these points was a trickle in comparison to the velocity of water currently flowing onto the beach. It is suspected that there might be an outflow from within the boundaries of a private property in the lower uMhlanga area,” she said.
One of Bollman’s many concerns is how the constant opening and closing of the beaches is affecting tourism.
“Beaches are a main tourist attraction in the Umhlanga Rocks precinct with many hotels, restaurants and other businesses, including informal traders, relying on the tourist trade for business. With the closure of uMhlanga beaches due to Covid-19, the chemical spill in 2021, and for over 300 days in 2022 due to sewage issues, this has and is severely impacting trade and ultimately placing a lot of stress on the hospitality industry,” she said.
She added that the on-again-off-again situation made it difficult for prospective tourists to plan and ultimately seek an alternative holiday destination.
Bollman said that as much as the City was at fault for sewage spills, it was also up to residents from the residential and business sector to ensure that cooking oil, fats and other items used in their households and businesses are bring discarded properly.
“During my first visit to a sewerage pump in Armstrong Avenue, when I first became councillor, I was shocked at the sight of rags, which were causing the system issues. Over the years, I came to learn that it was also congealed fats that are part of the problem,” added Bollman.
“Yes, our sewerage system is under huge pressure, which is severely affecting our rivers, beaches and local economy, however, if we all contribute to the resolution in our own small way, change will happen,” added Bollman.
“I am planning on holding a few drives in the area, together with the Department of Health, to provide education, training and enforcement on the matter. We all have to work together in ensuring that the system does not get pressurised unnecessarily,” she said.
Lindiwe Khuzwayo, eThekwini Muncipality spokesperson, said the City had tested the water and it ‘was fine’.
“We can confirm that Bronze Beach was closed after our employees noted that the water looked dirty. In order to protect our residents and visitors the beach was closed pending water quality results. Our first sample results came back showing that the water quality is fine. However, we are still awaiting further confirmatory test results before the beach can be open to the public.”
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