DURBAN - THE UGU District Municipality has been given a week to compile a report on a sewage spillage that led to the closure of popular South Coast beaches.
The report has to be submitted to the KwaZulu-Natal Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (Edtea), which also directed the district municipality to act urgently to stop the spillage.
The directive, issued by the department under Section 28(4) of the National Environmental Management Act, follows the sewage spill in the Uvongo river and Uvongo beach about four weeks ago.
The municipality said it was due to a faulty pump at one of its wastewater treatment works.
The region’s tourism industry was affected after several beaches in the area, including Margate Beach, Uvongo Beach, and Lagoon Beach, were closed.
KZN Edtea MEC Ravi Pillay visited the area on Monday after receiving complaints from concerned members of the public.
The site visit included an inspection of the two sewage pump stations in Uvongo.
The department said there was a damaged pipeline at the two pump stations. The pipeline connects the stations to the wastewater treatment works.
“The damage to the asbestos-cement pipeline was discovered at Pioneer Road, in Uvongo,” said the department. Pillay, who visited the Pioneer Road site where work to replace the pipeline is under way, said he was given the assurance that the municipality was doing all it could to stop the overflows and to limit the impact on the environment.
He said some measures in place included using tankers to suction out sewage at the two pump stations in order to limit the overflow.
Pillay said officials from the municipality said there was a move to connect a temporary line at Pioneer Road, Uvongo.
“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,” he said.
Pillay said that the department had the right to pursue criminal enforcement. However, they were hopeful that it would not come to that.
He said all the stakeholders, including the municipality and contractors on site, had assured the department that the situation was being prioritised.
“We are satisfied with the information we have received, that there is work under way to connect a temporary line which will solve the immediate problem,” Pillay said.
He said pollution of that nature could result in severe 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,” he said.
THE MERCURY