Stench still lingers in Oslo Beach
The worst area is at the river mouth with a disgusting sulphuric smell.
As yet, there is no solution for the polluted Mbango River in Oslo Beach, which is affecting business owners and residents. It is not only posing health risks, but has devastated the ecosystem over many years.
The Umbango Waste Water Treatment Plant (WWTP) is located adjacent to the river. Several sewerage pump stations feed to the plant for purification. Once the sewage has moved through the system it can be pumped back into the water course, which is the Mbango River.
On many occasions, pumpstations have broken down for various reasons and blocked the system, causing spillages along the river.
“Every day and night we breathe contaminated air. The worst area is at the river mouth with a disgusting sulphuric smell. The wind decides which areas suffer the most. This river needs to be dredged to get rid of the smell,” said a resident.
Ward 18 councillor Doug Rawlins said the problem is that the Umbango WWTP cannot handle the volume of sewage and needs an upgrade.
“According to Ugu’s own reports it needs in excess of R100m to bring it to a position where it can deal with the volume of sewage. Unfortunately, it does not have that budget. Ugu needs to fix what is broken. They must also find funding urgently to fix the WWTP. As the ward councillor, I will continue to investigate all possible ways to solve this problem.”
Ugu District’s spokesperson Zimbini Mpurwana said the pump stations located at the Borough Grounds and across Castor Road are fully operational and under continuous monitoring. “Refurbishment work is under way to strengthen the infrastructure and prevent future flood-related damage.”
She added that the Port Shepstone 14 (PS14) sewage pump station in Marburg has been experiencing intermittent oil ingress which reaches the Umbango WWTP. “This oil forms scum within the treatment process and occasionally carries over to the final effluent. The pump station has been thoroughly cleaned. Recently, another source of oil was identified flowing into PS14 and cleaned up,” she said.
Zimbini added that operations have been optimised with the installation of an additional aeration unit to improve treatment efficiency. “An engineer has been appointed to finalise the technical scope for the procurement process, scheduled to commence during the current financial year. This initiative aims to ensure the full treatment of all sewage inflows to the facility,” said Zimbini.
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