Probe into Umgeni River mass fish-kill

DURBAN North resident and founder of non-profit organisation, Adopt-a-River, Janet Simpkins, has called on national government to step in and release emergency funds in order to repair damage to sewerage and sanitation infrastructure across the eThekwini Municipality.

Last week, hundreds of fish lay dead along the banks of the Umgeni River with several more floating between Athlone Bridge and the river mouth at Blue Lagoon.

Prior to mass fish-kill, Simpkins, along with other environmentalists, had raised the alarm over the health of the river with E. coli levels reaching ‘shockingly high’ levels.

This concern was highlighted by independent water-quality testing conducted by Talbot Laboratories Group, on behalf of the NPO, which showed that several points along the Umgeni River are heavily contaminated by E. coli.

According to Simpkins, since water-quality testing began, there has not been an acceptable reading.

“The readings from the most recent testing have revealed one of the highest counts of E. coli contamination since we began testing. It’s really sad that we need to get to the stage of marine life dying as a sign that something is wrong with the Umgeni River. We’ve known for so long that there are major problems in this particular river and many others. We implore national government to unlock funding to deal effectively with the emergency repairs and upgrades due. Enough is enough,” Simpkins said.

Last week, Simpkins told Northglen News it was worrying that other pathogens could potentially be in the river.

“We aren’t testing for a whole lot of things. It is scary to think what else is in the water,” she said.

She added that some of the high E. coli counts predate the floods in April and May in the province that caused further damage to the city’s waterways and beaches.

When Northglen News visited the mount of the river last week, some fish had been placed in piles along the slipway and along the rivers banks.

“Water birds, such as pelicans, herons, egrets and cormorants, feasted on the fish spoil – a cause for further concern,” explained Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (WESSA) volunteer, Luyanda Cele.

“As nature lovers, we are absolutely devastated. We’ve seen so many river birds eating the dead fish, and we don’t know what killed them, and the fear is this could potentially kill birdlife. As the days have gone on, we’ve seen more and more dead fish floating in the water. There were also times when fish were rising to the surface and lifting their heads out of the water to get oxygen. Worryingly, we have seen people collecting the dead fish in an attempt to eat them or re-sell them. We urge visitors and residents not to consume any fish from the river,” Cele said.

Cele added that the water had taken on a greenish tinge last week and also had a strong, malodorous ordour coming from it.

The eThekwini Municipality spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela confirmed they are investigating this matter.

“The City is aware that last week, a dark black effluent entered the lagoon. We are investigating this matter as it could possibly be a very toxic effluent that could have been the cause of the sudden fish-kill. There is currently no black effluent entering the nearby treatment works or the river. In the interim, we urge residents to stay clear of the water and refrain from collecting any dead fish they might come across as this is dangerous.”