Durban — Dozens of dead fish were discovered at the Isipingo Beach estuary, south of Durban after what appeared to be sewage covered the beach on Monday.
It is believed toxins could have made it difficult for the fish to breathe. The eThekwini Municipality, however, said it was unclear what caused the pollution as they were still investigating the situation.
Environmentalist Desmond D’Sa said the issue could have been avoided had the municipality acted beforehand by maintaining pipes. D’Sa said that this was not something new.
“City officials need to be held accountable for this as they know that it is an issue that reoccurs; it does not make sense for them to come and clean up the damage knowing that the damage could have been avoided early by investing in maintenance,” he said.
Upon arrival at the scene, the whole place had a horrible smell, which made it difficult to breathe. One could not help but sympathise with residents living in the area.
Chairperson of the KZN Subsistence Fishing Forum, John Peter, said the organisation has at least 15 000 fishermen who are mostly unemployed and living below the poverty line, who rely on fish to put food on the table.
He said this incident had left them devastated as it means they will have to start over.
Peter said looking at the size of the fish that washed up, it took them eight to 12 years to grow that big.
“We are also concerned that the water from this lagoon could move up to the ocean which may cause other marine living resources to contract the same contamination. This is a good economy and under regular checks, it could really benefit everyone; the municipality needs to put their checks in balance,” he said.
Jay Sewpersad, an Isipingo resident, said the “unbearable smell” was posing a health risk.
“Every year this happens and nothing is done; this time it was worse because it affected fish also.”
The DA in KwaZulu-Natal called on Water and Sanitation Minister Senzo Mchunu to approve funding for the reconstruction and maintenance of pump stations that were damaged during the KZN floods.
“We are also calling for the allocation of an equitable water services infrastructure grant to repair and maintain the eThekwini system that has been increasingly neglected over the past two decades,” said DA eThekwini caucus leader Thabani Mthethwa.
The city began a clean-up operation on Wednesday at the lagoon. Specialists were on site to collect and dispose of the fish correctly. The municipality warned the community to stay away from facilities there, refrain from fishing, and not to collect dead fish.
“In the interest of public safety, the City has taken a decision to prohibit access to the affected water courses until repairs to the pump station are finalised,” it said in a statement.
Daily News