As the eThekwini Municipality gears up for its festive season holiday rush, anticipating thousands of holidaymakers to descend on the City for its sun and beaches, six popular beaches remain closed after testing poor for E.Coli levels.
According to the latest joint sampling of beach water quality — that the eThekwini Municipality conducts with Adopt-A-River, a non-profit organisation whose samples are tested by independent laboratory, Talbot — six very popular beaches and three rivers tested had up to 1,000 times the acceptable levels of E.coli.
The tests were published on December 11 and the tests conducted on December 7.
The acceptable level of E.coli is between 150 to 500 cfu/100ml of E.coli while an “excellent” level is less than 130 cfu/100ml.
– Point Beach tested 1,043 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
– Ushaka Beach tested 1,951 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
– South Beach tested 6,488 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
– North Beach tested 19,863 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
– Battery Beach tested 19,863 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
– The Country Club Beach tested 24,196 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
– The River at Kingfisher Canoe Club tested 1,267,000 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
– The River at Riverside Road tested 241,960 cfu/100ml of E.coli,
– River below Northern Waste Water Treatment Works tested 650,000 cfu/100ml of E.coli.
Gugu Sisilana, the eThekwini Municipality spokesperson said that it should be noted that the results for the same beaches on December 5, were “excellent” and “acceptable”.
In a statement, the eThekwini Municipality put the high levels of E.coli down to recent rains.
“These results show levels of E. coli that are higher than normal. This is after several days of heavy rainfall in Durban, which washes pollution from rivers, streams, and stormwater systems into the ocean. This has been linked to the latest “poor” beach water quality results,” a statement by the City explained.
“It is common to have poor water quality when heavy rains continue to batter the City. This results in pollution, including foreign objects, washing from rivers and streams as well as other water sources into the ocean.”
The City said that Durban experienced several days of heavy rain since last week.
The joint sampling with independent laboratories is done once a week but it is in addition to the City’s regular monitoring and routine weekly testing across all its 23 bathing beaches, it said.
“The beaches with ‘poor’ water quality have been closed while re-sampling and monitoring of the beaches continue. The repairs and maintenance of sanitation infrastructure is also ongoing. Significant improvement has been made following the extensive flood damage”.
The Democratic Alliance in eThekwini, the official opposition, said it was concerned that the Mayor was on a drive to talk up the safety of the City’s beaches.
Yogis Govender, the DA’s eThekwini Exco Member said that as the City enters the festive season and schools close this week, the heightened risk of swimming in unknowingly contaminated water cannot be ignored.
“Beachgoers must recognise that beach quality results are not provided in real-time. Awareness of this crucial fact is vital, and individuals should pay close attention to the dates associated with ‘safe pronouncements’,” Govender said.
“Dubbed Ecoli-weni, eThekwini has yet to recover from pervasive sewer pollution affecting rivers, streams, and oceans. Even if individuals refrain from entering the water, it's crucial to note that E. coli can persist in sand for days.”
Govender added that the eThekwini administration — lead by the African National Congress (ANC) and the Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) — has made minimal efforts to address sewer spills and the consequences for Durban's businesses, hospitality, trade and tourism.
“The reality is that the ANC-EFF proves inadequate in governing the city, and no amount of posturing can alter this fact,” said Govender.
“Inspections along the Metro's 100 km coastline present a stark contrast to the mayor's narrative, revealing derelict lifeguard stations, vandalised ablution facilities left unattended for years, and an overall discrepancy between the portrayed image and reality. Moreover, Mayor Molisi Kaunda's lack of action regarding unchecked littering and public drinking is disconcerting.”
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