Uvongo river contamination – Ugu sets the record straight
Ugu District Municipality has stressed that it is taking decisive action to deal with this issue.
THE contamination of the Uvongo river and lagoon over the festive season elicited a torrent of response from irate holidaymakers, some of whom had spent almost their entire holiday being violently ill.
Ugu District Municipality has stressed that it is taking decisive action to deal with this issue.
A media statement released by the municipality earlier today read, “It is standard practice that any reported or identified contamination of any nature is given the highest level of attention and urgency it deserves, and, in keeping with this, the municipality deployed a team of environmentalist and technicians to the affected area as soon as it became aware of the problem.”
The statement added that reported cases of diarrhoea were also thoroughly investigated and there was no conclusive evidence to link these to the Uvongo River.
“After a series of tests conducted on the river, the municipality unreservedly declared that the results of these tests revealed that the Uvongo River was highly contaminated. As a precautionary measure, public notices were erected around the river and the lagoon prohibiting members of the public from using both the river and the lagoon for any recreational activities,” read the statement.
It went on to say that the municipality had also committed to identifying the main source of contamination, conducting a physical inspection of its sewerage treatment plants located along the river. It added that no signs of spillage were discovered.
“A further investigation revealed a minor discharge of effluent from the main pipe of the temporal conservancy system at Masinenge Housing Project. Repairs and the replacement of the tanks was urgently undertaken, and tests conducted revealed that this had had no significant impact on the contamination of the river. Further investigation into the major source of contamination is still in progress,” said Acting Senior Manager: Mayoralty and Communications, France Zama.
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