By Ntando Nsusha
Residents and eco-warriors were among the scores of environmentalists that peacefully marched and protested along the north beach in Durban recently to raise awareness about the oil and gas spillage effecting eThekwini beaches, killing the eco-system and threatening marine life.
The march led by residents and members of the environmental and human rights justice non-governmental organisation, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), was aimed at making their frustrations heard regarding the pollution of Isipingo Beach. The protest was centred around the concerns of oil and gas pollution which is having a detrimental effect on climate change, marine resources, rivers and oceans.
According to Desmond D’sa, SDCEA spokesperson, sewerage works running along the coastline have not been properly maintained by the eThekwini Municipality since 2014 which is adding to the pollution of local beaches. He said the situation has been worsened by the exploration for oil and gas which he says is evident at Isipingo Beach Lagoon.
“In protest of this we came out in numbers to raise awareness about this pollution as our oceans and rivers are now being used as dumping sites for chemicals and sewerage. This will in future also limit residents from accessing the beaches as their health will be at risk,” said D’sa.
He said they are calling upon the eThekwini Municipality to meet with the members of the SDCEA to discuss a way forward so as to limit further damage to marine life and enable access to natural resources for the residents.
“People living in informal settlements are dependant on river water for survival due to a lack of service delivery in eThekwini. We want to meet with the eThekwini Municipality to give them ideas and facts about creating a win-win situation. In-order to assist in developing a plan that will cater for environmental rights for our people despite of their geographical location,” said D’sa.
A fisherman, Kiddo Naidoo said: “I have just been to Isipingo Beach recently and the stench of rotten fish was too much to handle. Apparently, some company dumped a lot of toxic waste into the river, resulting in all the marine life dying. I did watch a video showing all the dead fish, and this not only saddened me, but also infuriated me. Big businesses just want to make money at the expense of our beautiful earth.”
Lindiwe Khuzwayo, eThekwini Municipality Head of Communications, said the floods that wreaked havoc in April 2022 had a negative impact on the city’s water and sewer infrastructure. “The recent issue at Isipingo Lagoon is related to a failure at our pump station. Because of the faulty pump-stations, the effluent that was discharged legally by industries into sewer, overflowed into the receiving environment. It should be noted that industries are given a permit to discharge into sewer lines,” said Khuzwayo.
She added Toyota and SAB have joined forces with the municipality to expedite repairs in areas close to their operations.
