EDITORIAL: Devil-may-care about ongoing enviro courses

IS it just us, or is there a seemingly lacksadaisacal, devil-may-care approach in the response of city officials in their responses to two ongoing environmental problems in this part of the world?
Without sounding alarmist, a situation where a city official concedes that it is a ‘regular occurence’ for sewage to overflow into a bird sanctuary due to an upstream waste water pump failure, is simply shocking.
It may be the reality that the city is aware of the problem, however accepting this fate and the implications on the area’s few and dwindling natural assets, such as the bird park, is deplorable.
If the city indeed has a master plan to resolve the ongoing situation, surely it would only better serve the interests of its ratepayers by sharing such plans?
Obviously the proximity of the waste water plant to the bird sanctuary is problematic, but of equal concern is why there are such regular overflows in the first place. Is it a question of capacity or the lack thereof? Is the issue one of mechanical failure or human error?
Of equal concern – only with greater impact – is the neglected state of Toti’s aptly termed ‘toilet rivers’. The city is paying lip service to its role as the custodian of eThekwini’s river systems when it states that there is no budget allocated to dealing with a water hyacinth, sewage-infested river such as the Amanzimtoti River. The city’s relevant departments are dodging they very large elephant in the room when they toss the issue about between departments without accepting responsibility.
And when major rains do come, all these issues end up resolving – as the rivers flush out to sea. Where of course, the water contamination extends onto our beaches. The poor water quality there will infect and affect the marine resources of this area, and quite likely chase tourists out of town.
Perhaps former city manager, Mike Sutcliffe looked into a crystal ball several years ago when he opted out of the international Blue Flag Beach accreditation programme and saw developments unfold with the city’s inability to oversee its natural resources. This is simply not good enough.