With the festive season fast approaching, it’s a race against the clock for the eThekwini Municipality to have all its beaches reopened.
Eight of the municipality’s beaches still remain closed ahead of the city’s peak visitor period. These beaches include the Westbrook, Bronze, Laguna, Thekwini, uMhlanga, uMdloti and Umgababa beaches.
The municipality had issued a notice in September stating that a number of Durban beaches were closed after tests revealed poor water quality at these beaches.
According to a statement released by the municipality yesterday, 13 of the beaches have been opened for swimming. The uShaka, Addington, Wedge, North, Bay of Plenty, Battery, Country Club, Brighton, Reunion, Pipeline, Toti Main and Warner beaches were reopened after tests conducted found that the level of E coli was at “acceptable standards”.
“The decision to open these beaches was taken after recent water tests conducted by experts confirmed that beach water is at an acceptable level for recreational activities,” said the municipality’s spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela.
The city is expecting to attract over 900 000 visitors this festive season, which is expected to be a major boost for the city’s economy following the adverse effect of the pandemic, the unrest in July last year, and this year’s floods.
Last week, mayor Mxolisi Kaunda revealed that while water and sanitation infrastructure had been damaged during the floods, vandalism had been at the core of the failure of some sewerage pump stations.
“To date, 33 of our pump stations have been vandalised. This has resulted in the pollution of our rivers and beaches. However, we are pleased that great progress is being made as our teams are working tirelessly to repair infrastructure and prevent the overflowing of sewerage,” said Kaunda.
The municipality has said that it will keep the public posted as new developments arise and has appealed for understanding.
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