A large number of businesses in eThekwini, on South Africa’s east coast, which includes the port city of Durban, rely heavily on tourism. It is a popular holiday destination, just a six-hour drive from Johannesburg. Millions of people living inland head to the warm coast during the country’s extended December-January school holidays. But maybe not this year. As Anja du Plessis explains, many of the beaches along the Durban coastline are not safe for swimming. She explains what happened and why.
What is the status of the eThekwini boardwalk beaches?
The city’s beaches are facing an ongoing sewage crisis. Many have been closed along the Durban waterfront.
From the recorded results on water quality, it is quite clear that most of the beaches in eThekwini Township are currently unsafe for public and recreational activities.
Most of the beaches have critical levels of Escherichia coli. (E. coli). This is a bacterium found in the intestines of healthy people and animals. But high levels of E. coli in water pose a significant threat to human health, as well as aquatic and marine environments. The global and South African acceptable standard for E. coli in marine water is 500 counts/100 mL. Most of the beaches along the Durban coastline have critical levels of E. coli well above this level and should be considered a public health hazard.
Only three of the nine beaches sampled along the city’s extended shoreline have acceptable levels of E. coli. They are uShaka, South and Westbrook Main beaches.
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One of the main concerns is that some beaches have been opened for swimming despite critical levels of E. coli. Beaches of interest include Point, North, Battery, Country Club and Umhlanga Bronze beaches.
E. coli levels in the Umgeni River are also a significant public health hazard. Levels go up to more than 24 million counts/100ml in the case of Northern Works.
Based on the data provided, the decision to open some beaches for swimming should be reviewed, as it represents a significant danger to human health due to critical levels of E. coli.
I have been conducting research on water quality trends in the area for over 12 years. The results show a decline in water quality and compliance in the last two decades.
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Examples of the decline include increased algal blooms that have led to large-scale fish kills (especially in the Umgeni River) and beach closures.
About 80% of ocean pollution originates on land. Various pollutants (chemicals, nutrients, garbage, heavy metals, and other toxic substances) are transported by streams and rivers from different land-use activities, such as farms, industries, and urban areas, to bays and ports, and finally out into the ocean. sea.
The magnitude and frequency of pollution can make river and ocean water unsafe for humans. It also leads to large-scale environmental destruction, such as fish kills.
The ongoing and increasing sewage pollution in eThekwini Township is an example of how continued sewage pollution, chemical spills, and poor water governance and management can lead to widespread environmental degradation and dangers to human health. .
What are the causes?
The status of the municipality, specifically in terms of its ability to provide informed water governance and reliable service delivery to its residents and businesses, has been steadily declining over the past two decades. This came to a head in mid-2022 when most beaches were closed and few were safe for recreational activities.
Aging water infrastructure has been in a steady decline due to lack of maintenance, lack of human capacity and financial resources, poor water governance, and delay, or lack of action, to address wastewater deposition in various streams. water like the Umgeni River and ultimately out to sea
The major floods in April 2022 worsened the already serious situation. The floods damaged water infrastructure and wastewater treatment works, threatening the water supply. After the floods, 80% of the drinking water network was out of service.
The floods caused immense sewage pollution coinciding with another massive fish kill at the mouth of the Umgeni River. In August 2022, large-scale fish kills were again recorded in the Isipingo Beach Lagoon, and more aquatic kills were recorded in the Umgeni River. Once again, E. coli was determined to be the main culprit, with significant effects on aquatic life and ecosystems.
But the April floods are not the only cause of the current sewage crisis. The failure of water infrastructure and wastewater treatment works has been a constant problem for the last two decades, increasing every year.
READ | IN DEPTH: eThekwini’s polluted beaches: why the greatest danger is on the sand, not the water
Vandalism has caused breakdowns and the non-functioning of the pumps. Some sewage pump stations do not have a second backup pump. In the event of the first pump failing, or in the event of prolonged power outages or increasing blackouts, the sewage will overflow.
The closure of beaches within the eThekwini municipality is not new. The beaches were closed for the Christmas season in December 2021 due to heavy sewage pollution from the Umgeni River.
Partially treated human waste was, and still is, deposited into the Umgeni River from a municipal outlet pipe located near the sewage treatment works.
What has been the impact?
There is an increasing risk of significant hazards and risks to human health, specifically cholera, hepatitis, and other waterborne diseases that are transmitted through exposure to bacteria and pathogens from sewage in affected rivers and in the ocean. .
The very low level of microbiological quality compliance (most are at a critical level), as well as the continuous flow of wastewater into rivers, streams and oceans, is cause for great concern. It affects public health and aquatic ecosystems and causes significant financial losses, especially for the tourism sector.
At the moment, the quality of potable water (drinking water) within eThekwini Township is acceptable, with 99% compliance. If compliance falls below 95% and precautions are not taken, higher concentrations of bacteria or pathogens will lead to increased risk of illness and potential waterborne disease outbreaks.
Where do we go from here?
The wastewater crisis cannot be solved overnight as it is a legacy problem. The following steps should be taken to begin to reverse the situation:
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Money provided to the municipality to address aging water infrastructure, substandard and non-functioning sewage treatment works, and other major pollution issues must be monitored by an independent body to ensure these funds are not misappropriated.
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It is necessary to continue with frequent monitoring of water quality. The results, especially for E. coli, need to be published and available to keep the public informed about the current status of their major rivers and beaches.
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Lack of accountability, alleged misappropriation of funds, delay or inaction, as well as poor water governance need to be investigated, addressed and improved.
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Public-private partnerships should be considered to address the ongoing wastewater crisis. The estimated cost of infrastructure damage across the province has been estimated at R25 billion (still rising), and will require productive partnerships and investment.
Finally, bathers should make sure they are aware of the most recently published water quality results. They should try to avoid beaches that are officially closed and determine which beaches are suitable to use based on published water quality results.
Anja du Plessis, Adjunct Professor and Research Specialist in Water Resources Management, University of South Africa
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
