DURBAN - All beaches north of the uMngeni River up to Salt Rock remain closed.
eThekwini Municipality said the closure was a precautionary measure following to the spill from a chemical warehouse in Cornubia during last month's unrest.
"The public is advised to refrain from all recreational activities, including fishing or surfing, swimming, bait collection and picking up dead species,“ said City spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela.
“Collecting or harvesting any marine living resource in the area is temporarily prohibited as they have been exposed to toxic chemicals and could be harmful to human health.
“This warning and temporary closure of beaches remains in place until the threat has been determined to be abated."
He said the results of samples taken were due back from specialist laboratories next week, after which authorities would reassess the temporary closure of the beaches and related activities.
The public were asked to be patient and comply with requests from authorities.
“Any inconvenience is regretted. However the safety of the public is of utmost importance.”
Mayisela said a chemical clean-up company has been appointed to clean up the spill as well as any contamination.
“Specialised clean-up crews are on site to deal with the collection and disposal of dead species in a responsible manner.”
Authorities are continuously monitoring the area to determine the extent of the impact of the spill. Thus far, there has been a fish kill in the oHlanga estuary and its adjacent beach area, with washing up of dead species up to uMdloti Beach.
Please report any further contamination or fish kill to 083 253 6618.
The Environmental Health Unit can also be contacted at 031 311 3555 during office hours to report any pollution matters or complaints.
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