R2m generator needed to stop Durban Harbour sewage leak
While the recent leak caused a stir on social media, Fishing DBN said sewage has flowed into the harbour for months.
A new generator, valued at R2m, will put an end to the sewage leaks that are polluting the Durban Harbour, said the eThekwini Municipality.
On Tuesday, November 10, the City said that a sewage leak at Lavender Creek was the result of load shedding and vandalism. This led to a malfunction at the Mahatma Gandhi Pump Station.
“Moving from one loading stage to the next happened to occur haphazardly, leaving us with a very small room to shut down some of the stations to avoid them discharging raw sewage into the port,” said the eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela.
The City will source generators to address the issue.
“The City has processes that are currently underway to look into procuring generators to more than 200 pump stations. Each generator costs in excess of R2 million. The City is working around the clock to normalise the situation and there is no need to panic,” he said.
Fishing DBN’s Veeren Hiramun reported that sewage has flowed into the harbour for months.
“I frequent the harbour once a week. This matter has been going on for several months. Some days it’s better than other days. The matter has been reported more than five months ago,” he said.
Hiramun racked up more than 6 000 views on YouTube when he posted a video of the spill on Saturday last week. The video was shared more than 10 000 times on Facebook
“Now that we have created hype on social media, it’s being attended to. If we don’t go on social media, a blind eye is turned to the matter. My concern going forward is that people fish here and the fish are directly contaminated, so there’s a health impact. This is also a popular fishing spot for tourists, so there will be a financial impact as well,” he said.
Hiramun said visitors to the harbour might not realise the extent of the issue.
“When the tide starts pulling out of the harbor, the sewage gets sucked out to the ocean. Depending on the time of the day you go, the stench could be unbearable or not so bad,” he explained.
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