Durban North residents were left reeling after the eThekwini Municipality prohibited fishing between the uMngeni Estuary and the Blue Lagoon beach. The area, a popular spot for recreational leisure and a source of income for many, has been closed due to high levels of sewage pollution.
Ward 35 Councillor Bradley Singh said that many people will be affected by this closure. He added, “Due to no fishing, visitors and residents who use the beach will unfortunately not be able to go to Blue Lagoon. The City must act with speed, fix the infrastructure issues and stop the sewage flowing into the oceans. They must strive to obtain the Blue Flag Status that it lost due to high levels of sewage pollution into the ocean.”
The eThekwini Municipality informed the public on Wednesday, 8 January, that recreational and fishing activities from the uMngeni Estuary to the Blue Lagoon non-bathing beach have been prohibited. EThekwini spokesperson Gugu Sisilana stated that this decision was made in accordance with the Coastal Compliance Notice issued by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment.
Sisilana explained, “The directive by the Department was in line with Section 59(1) of the National Environmental Management: Integrated Coastal Management Act no. 24 of 2008. The City is conducting an extensive investigation to trace the source of the discharge of sewage effluent along the uMngeni Estuary. Once the investigation is complete, the City will undertake repairs to any damaged infrastructure that may have resulted in the discharge of untreated effluent into the uMngeni Estuary.”
She identified the key contributing factors to pollution and E.coli, particularly affecting estuaries and beaches, as infrastructure failure due to relentless theft and vandalism of the City’s sewer infrastructure, as well as illegal connections into the sewer system.
“The City is making every effort to attend to all infrastructural defects that may pose a risk to the environment and urges the public to report vandalism and the theft of infrastructure to police so that perpetrators are apprehended. Fishermen are urged to adhere to the fishing restriction at the uMngeni Estuary and Blue Lagoon until further notice while the investigation is underway,” Sisilana concluded.
