Durban — The eThekwini Municipality announced at the weekend that it had reopened 13 beaches after extensive tests and though they remain open, lab results could change that decision.
On Wednesday afternoon, municipal spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said the municipality would like to assure the public that the 13 beaches that were reopened at the weekend would remain open.
“They will remain open until results from eThekwini’s accredited laboratory indicate that a different decision needs to be taken,” Mayisela said.
“EThekwini continues to monitor water quality and so far the results from the beaches that are closed indicate that they should remain closed in the interests of public safety.”
Mayisela said that this includes Umhlanga Beach which was impacted by a blockage at Macausland pump station. The blockage has since been removed but water quality is still not at acceptable levels.
He said that to enable the public to make informed decisions about the beaches the municipality will increase the frequency of testing at bathing beaches and will publicly share these results as expected.
He said that some of the unease about water quality results can be traced back to an inconsistent understanding of how sampling and testing work.
“For results to be comparable they need to have come from the same sample, given how dynamic sea conditions are,” Mayisela said.
“The handling of the sample, its transportation and storage can also affect the result.”
Mayisela added that as communicated earlier, the municipality is hard at work ensuring that flood damage to infrastructure is repaired as speedily as possible to.
“The municipality remains committed to public safety at our beaches and to transparency.
“We remain guided by results from our lab and we will react in line with those results,” Mayisela said.
At the weekend, Mayisela had said that testing has confirmed that the water quality at the 13 beaches is now of an acceptable standard.
The 13 beaches reopened are Bay Beach, North Beach, Wedge Beach, South Beach, Addington Beach, uShaka Beach, Point Beach (Vetchies), Brighton Beach, Amanzimtoti Main Beach, Pipeline Beach, Warner Beach, Winklespruit Beach and Umgababa Beach.
Mayisela added that five beaches remain closed: eThekwini Beach, Laguna Seasonal Beach, Ansteys Beach, Reunion Beach and Baggies Beach.
All water activities such as swimming, surfing, fishing, bathing, and canoeing are therefore prohibited at the five above-mentioned beaches.
“Beachgoers are urged to avoid water-related activities at beaches that are closed.”
Mayisela added that the public will be notified when the closed beaches are reopened and safe for public use.
Daily News