Sewage spills and water woes galore
An upset resident found dead fish floating in the river and said the following, “The smell is terrible. This is yet again a health issue and this is not the first time this has happened.
Residents of the South Coast are at their wits end following the ongoing water crisis that they have been facing.
In addition to water shortages, sewage spills have once again become an issue.
Last week, there were reports of sewage spilling into the Margate beach and lagoon and as a result, the Ugu District Municipality has temporarily closed both the beach and lagoon.
Mondli Ngcobo, acting senior manager of Mayoralty and Communications of Ugu District Municipality, said that no recreational activity will be allowed at the lagoon and beach.
He also stated that the closure will remain in place until such time as repairs to the pump is completed and periodic sampling has been carried out.
“A contractor has started repairs to a faulty pump at the waste water treatment works and there is the possibility of the Nkongweni River, which flows into the Margate beach, being polluted,” said Mr Ngcobo.
He also said that the public will be informed as to when the beach and lagoon will be re-opened for recreational purposes.
According to Ugu, there was a mechanical issue at Pump 4 A at the Margate Waste Water Treatment Works.
“Repair work started on Saturday (27th) and was expected to be completed yesterday (3rd)” said Ugu.
Unfortunately, this is not the first time that raw sewage has spilled into the Nkongweni River.
An upset resident found dead fish floating in the river and said the following, “The smell is terrible. This is yet again a health issue and this is not the first time this has happened.
How many animals are going to die because of the water? The fish are already dead.”
Meanwhile, in Margate at the Hibiscus Industrial Park, tenants are also facing issues of sewage spilling onto their premises.
According to the tenants, a tree had fallen over and Ugu arrived to remove it.
They went in with an excavator and dug up a big hole which as a result, damaged the pipelines as well as the sewage pipe.
This resulted in a blockage and sewage spilled onto the premises of a nearby tenant.
They have had to hire a private plumber to fix the mess and are also concerned about the waste that is flowing into the beach.
Disgruntled residents are hoping that repairs will be done properly this time round as it is a serious health hazard as well as a threat to the South Coast’s animal life and tourism sector.
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