Durban - KwaZulu-Natal’s sewage disposal dilemma may just be the lynch pin that puts the provincial and national economy on a further downward spiral, as many popular beaches along the east coast remain closed due to contamination.
Chairperson of the Federated Hospitality Association of South Africa (FEDHASA) on the east coast, Brett Tungay, told IOL on Monday that sewage spills have a direct impact on the tourism industry.
Tungay said FEDHASA had engaged with the government, on various levels, since before the Covid-19 pandemic to try and resolve the issue, but little to no effort has been shown.
Now, after the worst possible occurrence of events, Durban beaches and various other beaches along the coast have been closed for recreational use due to contamination.
Research and testing institutes have confirmed that the ocean, as well as major rivers leading to the Indian ocean, have tested positive for high levels of E.Coli. This is a bacteria found in sewers.
“These ongoing spills have a direct impact on the tourism sector, not just accommodation, but everyone of those involved. If a tourist can't go to the beach, why would they go to Durban or anywhere in KZN?
“That means there won’t be any car hires, no outdoor activities, no restaurant visits, there’s many businesses in that chain that will be severely affected,” Tungay said.
“As FEDHASA, we can only bring it to the government’s attention about these problems. We have no legal prowess to pursue them.
“There are a whole bunch of issues, but these spills are one of the big ones. Prime tourist areas in KZN are being strangled by municipal ineptitude,” Tungay added.
Despite concerns raised by private and political organisations, it was reported on the eThekwini Municipality website that 12 beaches in the region were awarded the National Blue Flag Status in the 2020/21 season.
Ushaka, Durban North, Point, Amanzimtoti and uMhlanga Main beaches were given full blue flag statuses.
“The commitment to increase the number of Blue Flag beaches indicates that the City is moving in the right direction to ensure that the environment is adequately managed,” the City said on its website.
The eThekwini Mayor’s office said in the statement that “the goal is to achieve 100 Blue Flag Status by 2030. Currently, the country has 58 full status blue flag beaches out of 77 sites in total.”
Since the start of the year, reports of contaminations along the coast have been widespread following the floods in April and May.
At the Isipingo and Blue Lagoon beaches, dead fish were seen floating in the water near the river mouth.
At the weekend, new video footage emerged online showing the state of the uMngeni River and the Blackburn pump station near uMhlanga, north of Durban.
Raw sewage could be seen flowing in both these videos, which has gotten the attention of several opposition parties.
Heinz de Boer from the DA’s department of economic development and environmental affairs said that it was nothing new.
“We have been complaining about the infrastructure for years. It gets fixed for a couple months, then it breaks again. Now, it's just gotten more serious, and in more areas,” de Boer said.
He said he had confirmed reports of sewage flowing into rivers in Westville, Ladysmith, Phoenix, Saint Lucia, uMhlanga, Pinetown and Durban beaches.
“Fixing a sewage leak is not going to fix the problem,” he added.
But mayor Mxolisi Kaunda was not of the same view after announcing that eThekwini’s damaged sewage infrastructure will be repaired by November, according to an earlier report.
Spokesperson for the KZN provincial government, Lennox Mabaso, told IOL on Monday the government was hard at work repairing damages across the province.
He said they were busy finding new homes for those who were displaced by the floods and that weekly updates would be provided about the status of the provincial sewage system.
IOL