Controversial biotech company, UPL is alleging that a raw sewage leak from the Blackburn sewage pump station may have been the likely cause of fish dying at the uMhlanga lagoon recently.
The allegations suggesting eThekwini Municipality’s negligence in maintaining the sewage pump follow amid outrage from residents and environmentalists after video footage depicting several dead fish on the shores of uMhlanga beach went viral on social media. In a statement, UPL said that independent experts immediately began investigating the event, alongside officials from the Department of Water and Sanitation, and discovered sewage spills from the Blackburn sewage pump station in the water.
“It is their preliminary opinion that the high levels of sewage at this – and potentially two further pump stations – may have significantly impacted oxygen levels in the river, likely causing the fish to die. UPL SA has contacted the authorities to update them on these preliminary findings and has taken a number of samples which are currently undergoing testing,” said UPL.
The company added that UPL SA is continuing to work with the relevant authorities on the rehabilitation of the area affected by the chemical spill that resulted from the riots in 2021, and independent testing shows that there is no threat to human safety in the beach exclusion zone due to the spill.
“Investigations and testing of the Ohlanga tributary, between the pollution control dam (PCD) and the bridge at the Blackburn village, where the sewage spill was observed, showed live freshwater fish, in contrast to the recent fish die-off that occurred in the lower sections of the Ohlanga River and the mouth of the estuary.
“Critically there was an abundance and variety of freshwater fish, including some of the same species as were observed over the weekend in the estuary. Investigations and testing will continue in order to confirm the cause, but these vital signs of life close to the PCD support the theory that the fish die-off was probably caused by the sewage leak at the Blackburn sewage pump, leading to sharply lowered oxygen levels and increased ammonia levels in that section of the river and estuary water,” said UPL.
Ward 35 councillor, Nicole Bollman said that upon receiving news of the incident, Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife was immediately contacted and confirmed that there was indeed a substantial number of dead fish littering the lagoon. She said Ezemvelo promptly notified the relevant authorities, including the provincial government and the eThekwini Municipality Pollution Department.
“The pollution department has assured me that they are actively engaged in investigating the cause of the fish kill. Additionally, video evidence depicting the situation at the Ohlanga pump station has emerged, providing further insight into the potential factors contributing to the incident. To ascertain the root cause of the fish kill, tests have been conducted, these tests are crucial in determining the exact cause of the unfortunate situation, and their results will provide valuable information for addressing and preventing similar occurrences in the future,” added Cllr Bollman.
The municipality has however vehemently denied the allegations brought forth by UPL, saying it’s all speculation and that they are currently investigating the matter.
EThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Gugu Sisilana said: “The UPL South Africa media statement dated 9 April titled ‘UPL South Africa Addresses Fish Die-Off on uMhlanga beaches’, uses phrases such as ‘suggests’, ‘likely’, ‘potentially’ and ‘typically’ which indicates that they are merely speculating as to what could be the cause of the fish kill. There is no conclusive evidence that confirms the cause of the fish kill which is precisely what the municipality is currently investigating.”
Sisilana said the municipality is currently awaiting results from Marine and Estuarine Research, the team appointed to run tests on the water quality to determine the cause of the fish kill.
“The Ohlanga pump station situated below Blackburn Village is currently fully operational and has been for the past three months, post the storm on 13 January. The storm had led to flooding and the station was not operational for two days. There is a crack on the rising main 90-degree bend in the valve chamber which sprays some effluent when the pumps are running. This effluent is pumped back from the valve chamber into the old pump station which gravitates back to the new pump station, said Sisilana.
She added that due to problems with this pump blocking at times, the effluent will discharge onto the road outside the station when not pumped back to the old pump station. The spillage would be approximately 5000 liters per hour which amounts to approximately 90 000 litres per day.
“This 90-degree bend is in the process of temporary repair and a contractor has been appointed. The city is in the process of acquiring a permanent replacement,” said Sisilana.
During the devastating April/May 2022 floods, the Ohlanga pump station was inoperable for two weeks and approximately 26 million litres of sewerage was discharged into the Ohlanga River daily and there were no fish kills reported.
“There are no permits for toxic effluent to be discharged to the Ohlanga pump station. Furthermore, while the Waterloo Pump Station has been inoperable for approximately two months, there has been no fish kill. This pump station has been largely bypassed by a new trunk sewer that takes the majority of effluent to the Phoenix Wastewater Treatment Works.
“The Sibiya Node 2 pump station is operational and allegations by UPL South Africa that this pump station is experiencing infrastructure failures are not true. Therefore, the allegations by UPL South Africa that sewage overflow had caused the fish kill are baseless and unfounded,” said Sisilana.
