Mpenjati River highly contaminated
The retired civil engineer is concerned about the amount of untreated waste water being dumped in the Mpenjati River.
Ed Read, a retired civil engineer living in Palm Beach, is deeply concerned about the state of the Mpenjati River (and lagoon).
He feels it is necessary to warn the public about the danger of swimming or wading in the Mpenjati lagoon.
Read is a member of a group of concerned citizens called Green Town Projects, which has been sampling surface water between Margate and Port Edward for about 12 years.
His main concern is the amount of untreated wastewater being dumped in the Mpenjati River.
“Having taken water samples from the Mpenjati for over a year and being aware of the consequences of ‘bad’ bacteria in the water, I feel it necessary to bring the lay public to awareness of the problems we have allowed to develop and warn them about swimming or wading in the Mpenjati lagoon,” he said.
In a report, Read explains that to survive the ever-increasing number of infections caused by ‘bad’ bacteria and a vast variety of viruses, it has become necessary to understand and control them.
“Human waste contains organisms which, when out of the controlled environment of our gut, act as a source and medium for the growth and mutation of these viruses and bacteria. Wastewater plants have been developed and constructed specifically to dispose of our waste and protect us and the environment. Somewhere along the line, the ball has been dropped, and effluent has become a part of our environment.”
Read further explained that E.coli is a bacteria in the human gut. The density of E.coli in a body of water, which (without getting too long-winded) is measured in ‘Colony Forming Units’ per 100ml of water sample, is indicative of the health, or lack of health of that body of water.
A ‘rule of thumb’ is that water with an E.coli level of less than 250 is usually acceptable. A level of above 250 up to 500 is considered unhealthy, and anything above 500 is considered to be extremely dangerous to your health.
Read said the pollution levels in the Mpenjati River and lagoon, at four locations, earlier this year (February 5) and more recently (December 9) pollution levels vary between 500 and over 100 000.
Read said Ugu District Municipality, which is responsible for the failed Waste Water Treatment Plant upstream of the old steel bridge across the Mpenjati, is fully aware of the problem and has provided signage warning visitors of the problem; however, the signboard, shown here, can be found lying on the south bank of the lagoon picnic area.
He pointed out that he has emailed a number of people at Ugu and Ray Nkonyeni municipalities, including the municipal manager, but to date has received no reply.
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