A COASTAL Compliance Notice by the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment has been issued to the City of eThekwini to prohibit recreational and fishing activities at Umngeni Estuary and the Blue Lagoon non-bathing beach, from January 7 until further notice.

“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.

Also read: Erosion concerns at Blue Lagoon

“The key contributing factors to pollution and E.coli, particularly affecting estuaries and beaches, are infrastructure failure because of 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,” the City said in a statement. 

Fishermen are urged to adhere to the fishing restriction at the Umngeni Estuary and Blue Lagoon until further notice while the investigation is underway.

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