Unkown water contamination puts Bluff Golf Club wetland in peril
The overflow persisted over three days, polluting the water, killing fish and threatening the wetland’s vast ecosystem.
SEVERAL fish were killed recently when a thick, black sludge-like substance infiltrated one of the canals at the Bluff National Golf Club.
The overflow persisted over three days, polluting the water, killing fish and threatening the wetland’s vast ecosystem.
The issue, which was initially suspected to be sewage overflow, started on Friday, October 15 and continued through the weekend.
“Every time the municipal water systems in the area fail to work, it gets dumped into the club’s waterways. We’re used to reporting sewage overflow emanating from one part of the club. However, this came from the opposite side near the tennis club. Initially, we thought it was soap but it was apparent that it’s not, as the smell, dark colour and thickness seems like some form of chemical, almost like diesel. The fish were running from whatever this was because it was so bad. Many of them appeared to be gasping for air. Together with other community members, we tried to net out and move as many of them as possible but a number of them succumbed to the contamination,” said Trish who had taken a few samples of the,” said the club’s environmental representative, Trish Barras and manager Nicolet Day.
The Bluff National Park Golf Course is set in a wetland conservation area in KZN. It is prized for its birdlife is prolific with numerous species including the fish eagle soaring above and plenty of plovers, grey herons and pelicans who drop in to share the water with the resident cormorants and geese.
“We’ve been working for two years to try to get the water clean again and get the vast species of birds back to the club. Now it is like our hard work has been futile. We can only hope that they didn’t get poisoned from drinking the polluted water,” said Barras who added that a lot of litter also washes downstream into the canals at the club.
She said the municipality was in the process of installing grids to help trap the persistent plastic pollution.
The SUN approached the municipality for comment on the incident together with a reference number of the report. EThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela responded, “The City has no record of any complaints relating to the above, however, we did conduct an investigation after the complaint was received.
“An investigation was conducted at the pump station situated in Bluff Golf Club however no evidence of sewer discharge or oil spill was noted. Further investigation was conducted in Southern Waste Water Works (Wentworth area) to ascertain if all the sewer pump stations in close proximity were working and no upset conditions were noted. Inspection of the stream that runs alongside the golf club disclosed no evidence of any pollution.”
