MEC visits site of sewage spill in Uvongo
The MEC was given assurance that the municipality was doing all it could to stop the overflows and to limit the impact on the environment.
The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) has directed the Ugu District Municipality to act urgently to stop sewage spillage in Uvongo.
The directive, issued by the department in terms of Section 28(4) of the National Environmental Management Act (NEMA), follows sewage spills that have resulted in the pollution of the Uvongo river and the Uvongo bathing beach.
MEC Ravi Pillay visited the area on Monday this week after receiving complaints from concerned members of the public.
The site visit included an inspection of the two sewage pump stations (pump station 2 and pump station 3) in Uvongo.
These pump stations have been overflowing leading to sewage flowing into the river and the bathing beach.
While the two pump stations are not faulty, the overflow is linked to the damage to the pipeline connecting the two pump stations to the wastewater treatment works. The damage to the asbestos-cement pipeline was discovered at Pioneer Road.
MEC Pillay also visited the Pioneer Road site where work to replace the pipeline is underway.
The MEC was given assurance that the municipality was doing all it could to stop the overflows and to limit the impact on the environment.
Some of the measures already in place include using tankers to suction sewage at the two pump stations so as to limit the overflow.
Officials from the municipality also said there was a move to connect a temporary line at Pioneer Road.
MEC Pillay said the matter had to be attended to urgently.
“We are very concerned that this matter has been left to go on for many weeks. This is why we have issued this directive as a form of administrative enforcement. The department has the right to pursue criminal enforcement but we hope it does not come to that. All the stakeholders, including the municipality and contractors on site, have assured us that the situation is being given priority and is being attended to with the urgency it deserves. We are satisfied with the information we have received that work is underway to connect a temporary line which will solve the immediate problem,” said MEC Pillay.
He later convened a meeting with senior leadership of Ray Nkonyeni Municipality and Ugu District which was also attended by officials from the municipality and from departments such as Cooperative Governance and Traditional Affairs (Cogta), Water and Sanitation and EDTEA.
MEC Pillay has also asked Ugu to provide him with a full report on the matter, to be submitted before the end of the week.
“A pollution incident of this nature may result in environmental damage and degradation. Not only does this spillage infringe on the rights of residents but it may also have a negative impact on tourism which is the lifeblood of many of our coastal areas, especially on the South Coast”.
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