UPDATE: E.coli in Uvongo lagoon
If you fell ill after swimming at Uvongo in December, water from the lagoon was probably the cause.
SUSPICIONS that many fell ill in December because of the Uvongo lagoon being toxic have proved true.
South Coast doctors and hospital emergency wards were inundated with patients suffering from vomiting and diarrhoea over the festive season and many blamed it on the water from the lagoon.
Others blamed it on a seasonal ‘bug’ doing the rounds throughout the country and advised people to be more hygienic. “Wash your hands,” they said on social media.
In the interim, Ugu Municipality took samples of the water and sent them away for testing. Signs also warned people not to swim in the lagoon.
Ugu municipal manager DD Naidoo said the tests came back this week and showed that the lagoon was ‘very, very highly contaminated’ with E.coli.
Anyone coming into contact with the water would definitely have contracted all the above symptoms.
The problems were reported to Ugu on December 20 and a team of environmentalists – including officials from the Department of Health – took samples and searched the entire area for signs of spillage.
There were none.
Investigations are continuing, but it seems that the lagoon was contaminated on or about December 19. There are various theories – from chemical toilets being emptied into the river and even a leak from the sewerage system hasn’t been ruled out – but it was a once-off problem.
Ugu has made an appeal to anyone with information to come forward to help with investigations.
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