WATCH: New spill leaves Margate reeling – beach and lagoon closed
Questions about the contamination which has left hundreds of fish dead were forwarded to Ugu District Municpality this week.
Margate has been dealt yet another blow – a contamination which appears to have led to the death of hundreds of fish.
YOU MAY BE INTERESTED IN: More contamination keeps Margate beach and lagoon closed
The beach and lagoon have been closed since last week due to as yet unidentified contamination.
This news comes just days after it was reported that Ugu District Municipality’s planned repair to the rising main feeding the pump station on the Nkongweni River had hit a snag, leaving the lagoon out of bounds to water enthusiasts after it was certified ‘unsafe’ by health officials.
Then, there was a minor overflow reported from a blocked manhole at 47 Marine Drive, which could have flowed into the drain leading into the river.
It is not known if either of these are related to the fish dying.
After hearing the disturbing reports about dead fish being spotted in the water, journalist Shona Aylward went to investigate on Monday morning. This is what she found:
* A popular franchise on the beachfront was closing, and staff were seen packing up.
* The water in the children’s pool was a murky green.
* Visitors were leaving the beach in search of other beaches where they could swim.
* The lagoon had finally dried up but the stench of fish was overwhelming.
* Gabion baskets and bricks lay scattered along the beachfront.
* Signs had been placed on the beach prohibiting the use of the water for ‘swimming, fishing, collection and consumption of all sea creatures’.
* Bags of black bags of dead fish had not been removed from the beach.
France Zama, spokesman for Ugu, released a statement on Tuesday this week which said the municipality’s Environmental Health and Environmental Management Services had taken water samples at strategic points along the lagoon and that they were still awaiting the results. More sampling, said the statement, would be done later that day (Tuesday).
The statement added that the closure of Margate beach and the lagoon was ‘a precautionary measure due to the contamination of the lagoon, the cause of which is still unknown’.
A list of questions surrounding the environmental disaster were put to Ugu via email yesterday (Wednesday).
Here are Mr Zama’s responses.
1. Have the dead fish been picked up? The fish were cleared up by the Working for Coast Project.
2. Has aeration of the lagoon taken place? This has not yet been established.
3. Are the sample results back? Yes.
4. How much sewage was spilled? There is no sewage spillage.
5. Has it been established what was spilled and how this happened? As mentioned there was no spillage.
6. What was the purpose of breaching the river and was it effective? The breach was done by Ray Nkonyeni Municipality.
7. What preventative measures are now in place to stop this from happening again? No reply from Mr Zama.
8. How has this affected tourism? We are waiting for information from tourism authorities on this matter.
In March last year, the Herald reported that a pump had failed due to a blockage in the drainage line at the Margate sewer pump. This resulted in effluent being discharged into the river, and the beach was closed for two weeks due the devastating spill.
Then, in July, it was reported that the sea water was at an ‘unacceptable standard for recreational purposes’ and the beach and lagoon were again closed for several days.
And the sad story continues.
A walk along the beachfront revealed a neglected lifeguard tower, with some light fittings broken and other lights left burning.
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