Blue Flag rules 'don't fit Durban'

INLSA

The contentious issue of Durbans beaches and their Blue Flag status has reared its head again since the city manager said last week that it would not apply for the world standard accreditation this year.

The quality of Durban’s sea water has nothing to do with its Blue Flag status, and the failure of the city to apply for this accreditation is related to an inconsistency in testing standards, Neil Macleod, head of the city’s water and sanitation, has explained.

The contentious issue of Durban’s beaches and their Blue Flag status has reared its head again since the city manager said last week that it would not apply for the world standard accreditation this year. Citing issues relating to the testing standards, municipal manager S’bu Sithole said there were several issues that still needed to be discussed before the city put forward its application for the status. However, he did not rule out rejoining the Blue Flag body.

Macleod said Durban had always had its own water testing system to ensure the safety of its beaches, and when the Blue Flag status was introduced to Durban in the early 2000s, the standards set by the Blue Flag body matched those of the municipality.

However, the Blue Flag body then changed its standards, Macleod said, adding that the municipality eventually discovered that the new standards were aligned to those of colder waters, which did not fit Durban’s warmer waters.

“There are no beaches in Australia and the US that have Blue Flag status, for the same reason. We had to comply with European standards, which suits Cape Town’s waters.”

Macleod said the majority of the municipality’s water tests were to ensure it was of drinking water standard, and were therefore very strict. The sensitivity of the laboratory system used by the city also counted 50 percent more bacteria colonies than the tests that the Blue Flag body based its criteria on.

One of Macleod’s criticisms was the Blue Flag allowance of new water samples to be taken if the first samples did not meet the standards. He said the municipality had set days on which it conducted its tests, irrespective of whether there had been a flood or another occurrence that would temporarily change the quality of the water. Other countries, however, would retest their water |if they had tested it in such circumstances.

Another of his criticisms was the Blue Flag specification that the municipality had to use an independent laboratory to conduct its water tests.

“Our laboratory is accredited by the South African National Accreditation System, and is one of the few labs in the province to have this accreditation… Our lab is running the most stringent quality tests that test the quality of water for drinking.” Ted Knott, the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA’s national coastal project manager and co-ordinator of the Blue Flag programme, said he could not comment on the issues raised by Macleod as the municipality had not applied for the accreditation.

However, he did say |he had approached Blue Flag International for standards |relating to tropical waters.

Hospitality and tourism bodies have criticised the municipality’s decision not to apply for Blue Flag status, saying it has affected tourism, but Macleod said Durban did not appear to have a problem attracting tourists.

“I also don’t hear of tourists getting sick from swimming at our beaches,” he said.

The Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism, however, remains firm that all municipalities should adopt the Blue Flag policy

“We stand ready to assist all municipalities in the province to adopt the Blue Flag policy,” said department spokesman Bheko Madlala.

Richards Bay, Ballito and Hibiscus Coast beaches have Blue Flag status.

S’bu Mkhize, municipal manager at the Hibiscus Coast municipality, which has six Blue Flag beaches, said the standards set for the accreditation were stringent, but were “the type of standards that you need if you want to see your beaches recognised as safe and environmentally compliant”.