Durban — Despite the eThekwini Municipality being allocated millions of rand to fix sewer leaks, sewage was seen flowing into the Umgeni River in Durban North on Saturday.
A video regarding the “shocking scenes from the banks of the Umgeni River”, which was taken by ActionSA KwaZulu-Natal interim provincial executive member Pete Graham, has gone viral on social media.
Graham is also the chief executive of Singakwazi Aid, a water purification public benefit organisation (PBO).
Graham said he received a call about a stench emanating from the North Coast Road interchange. He found that sewage was being “pumped” into the river at a great rate.
Graham said that the sewage was coming from the stormwater system and not the pump stations.
Previously, Graham reported sewage spills in Effingham, north of Durban, and from the stormwater drain in Windsor Golf Course.
“This shows how terrible our infrastructure is. No maintenance to ensure blockages are cleared quickly to minimise the amount of sewage going down the stormwater drains. This sewage is flowing into the Umgeni River. I am concerned that the city is opening up certain beaches. I would not put my big toe on eThekwini beaches or in rivers. If this is what is going into our river, you would be a fool to go into our seas,” Graham said.
DA Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs MPL Heinz de Boer said well before the floods and particularly after the floods, dozens of oversight visits had been conducted at pump stations and outlets; and at rivers across the province.
He said hot spots in Ladysmith, on the South Coast, across Durban and in Richards Bay, had been visited.
The city was then put on terms and there had been dozens of contravention notices issued to it by the province.
“I can't emphasise how many times we have called on the government to unlock national disaster funds to repair sewer infrastructure,” De Boer said.
Reacting to the video on social media, Charlene Murphy said she went over the bridge on Umgeni Road and the smell was “unbelievable”.
“Absolutely a shocker. Tourists will go to Cape Town this Xmas, another loss for Durban.”
Shaun Peschl said: “As citizens, are we able to take control of these pump stations and at least try and fix it and more importantly maintain it? We all pay rates and taxes but that ain't going to save our rivers/oceans/business.”
Graham's video comes after another massive sewage spill occurred at the Blackburn pump station on Friday - flowing into the Ohlange river and then into the sea.
The pump, which is located along the N2, has been faulty since the April floods, and the city has yet to begin repairing it. But it was problematic even before the floods, having been affected by the chemical spill from the nearby UPL chemical company that was vandalised during the unrest in July last year.
Duncan Heafield, the chairperson of the uMhlanga Tourism Authority, said they were worried about the state of the beaches, which were a tourism drawcard.
Daily News