Sewage spill in Gqeberha forces beach closure ahead of Boks-Italy clash

Just as Gqeberha prepares to host the Springboks and a wave of rugby fans, one of its landmark beaches has been shut down due to a major sewage spill.

Kings Beach – in the heart of the city’s beachfront tourism hub – is closed, and municipal teams have been out in force since last week to determine the source of a sewage leak that has contaminated a freshwater stream running through the dunes.

Officials have also reported more spills at the railway lines between Humerail and the harbour, as well as higher up along Allister Miller Drive, next to the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport.

Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan said the initial leak near the airport was first detected early last week when he, with Ward 1 councillor Dries van der Westhuizen, visited Kings Beach. This led to the municipality closing the beach at the weekend after contractors began their investigation into the origin of the spill.

“The municipal teams are actively tracing the source by inspecting all manhole blockages in the area. This will assist them in determining the best route forward to contain and resolve the issue,” Tappan said on Monday.

Battling terrain to trace leaks

Municipal spokesperson Sithembiso Soyaya confirmed that teams had been on the ground with specialised equipment to trace leaks and clean affected areas since last week. “This task was made difficult by the presence of swampy terrain, overgrown vegetation and dense trees,” Soyaya said.

“Despite these challenges, progress is being made, and specialised equipment is being deployed to the sites [Monday] and [Tuesday] to speed up the work.”

He said contractors began clearing some of the dense vegetation to gain access to manhole covers. This will give them access to drains for more thorough inspections and create the possibility of “bypass pumping operations” that would allow them to avoid the sections of pipe causing the problem.

Honey sucker trucks have been deployed to pump out contaminated water at some of the bigger spills, giving teams easier access to manholes and drains. “Our teams continue to treat the affected areas to reduce E. coli levels and neutralise unpleasant odours,” Soyaya said.

A coastline under pressure

This is the latest in a series of pollution woes that have plagued the Nelson Mandela Bay coastline in recent months. Summerstrand residents often report foul odour coming from stormwater drains along the beachfront due to undetermined contamination, while further down the coast, Brighton Beach has been closed for several months due to leaks emitting from the nearby Fishwater Flats wastewater treatment works.

Read more: Sewage pollution, vandalism to keep Nelson Mandela Bay beach closed until summer

However, Soyaya said the current situation at Kings Beach differs from Brighton Beach, as the cause of the pollution at the latter has already been determined. “Our first priority now, with regard to Kings Beach, is to find the source of the leak before [we] can fix the problem.”

Environmental and health risks mounting

Chairperson of the Algoa Bay branch of the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa), Dr Gary Koekemoer, said the spill would have a limited impact inland and along its route to the sea. “However, where it reaches the ocean is of major concern.

“From where it originates and along its way to the beach, that area is actually quite dead in terms of the natural ecosystem and indigenous plant life. But ocean life and seaside activities are in danger if this toxic waste keeps seeping into the water.”

Koekemoer said there had been reports since last week of open water swimmers, who frequent Kings Beach and surrounds, falling ill.

He said this could have an economic impact if it began to affect sporting and tourism activities. “Bottom line, a sewage spill is never a good thing and it needs to be addressed as soon as possible,” Koekemoer said.

Unfortunate timing

Soyaya said while the municipality was always committed to resolving such issues as a matter of urgency, the timing of the spill was not ideal with the international rugby Test match between the Springboks and Italy scheduled for this weekend at the NMB Stadium.

Tappan said the spill should have a limited impact on tourism, and none of the players was expected to specifically visit Kings Beach this week.” However, the Springbok team was at the Virgin Active gym near the beachfront [on Monday], and the smell from the spill across the road was unfortunate.

“It would be best for everyone if these leaks could be resolved as soon as possible,” Tappan said. DM