Following the recent public and health concerns over the flow of raw sewage from pump stations into the Durban harbour and debris flowing from Central Durban through the stormwater drains, Durban harbour is looking pretty good this week.
DA Councillor and candidate for Ward 26, Sharmaine Sewshanker, who has been constantly in the forefront alongside DA Member of Parliament, Hannah Winkler, conducted a drive to revive the harbour to its former glory. Following up on the state of the harbour, Cllr Sewshanker did an oversight at Durban harbour on Tuesday, 12 October, to see if there were any further concerns that needed her intervention following the recent rains. Cllr Sewshanker invited the Springfield Weekly Gazette for a visit to the harbour and to their surprise they found that the harbour was spotless with clear waters and no sewage stench. She said that she was amazed about how the harbour was looking and hopes that it could stay that clean, especially with the December holidays coming up.
“I am very happy to say that the harbour is looking nice and clean, also welcoming for the tourists. It was also good to see the boaters fuelling up their boats, ready to hit the waters,” said Cllr Sewshanker. Janet Simpkins, founder and director of Adopt a River Eco Solutions, who has also previously raised concerns on the state of the harbour, said: “It really was a pleasant surprise to see the harbour looking rather clean. We will have to wait for the first real rains of the season to see what more we have to contend with.” One of the boaters who was ready to rev up his boat said he was very happy with the conditions of the harbour this week. “This week the harbour is really looking great and it is good to see that someone has done something right. Over the past few months we could not even think of taking our boats to sea. The sewer stench was very bad and we could not risk getting sick from the contamination. We really hope it stays this way.”
According to Cllr Sewshanker, the nearby sewer pump station was recently maintained by eThekwini and the state of the harbour could be the result of the maintenance. She said, however, the other rectification which still needs to be done is that of controlling debris that enter the harbour through the stormwater drains. She said a better filtering system is needed in order to maintain this beauty she saw on Tuesday. “Durban harbour and Wilson’s Wharf have been a prime example of how unchecked environmental pollution can have an impact on local business and tourism numbers. This affects businesses and the local fisherfolk who expressed deep concerns over the impact of pollution on marine life in the harbour and their ability to continue to feed themselves and their families,” Cllr Sewshanker added. Attempts to get comments from other concerned stakeholders and eThekwini Municipality were made, however, at the time of going to press none was received.
