A collapsed sewer line near the popular Kings Beach in Summerstrand, Gqeberha, caused sewage spills in the car park and surrounds. (Photo: Supplied) 
Just weeks after a sewage spill forced the closure of Nelson Mandela Bay’s flagship Kings Beach, another leak has again shut down the popular beachfront.
This time, a crumbling pipeline running through the adjacent harbour caused foul-smelling sewage to flow on to the Kings Beach parking area and down the walkway providing pedestrian and vehicle access to the beach.
While municipal teams are tending to the immediate problem and working to clean up the spill, repair work on the collapsed pipe causing the problem will begin only later this month.
The municipality released a statement on Wednesday, saying that the beach would be closed temporarily after the spill was reported, also warning residents not to swim or fish in the area.
“Following recent heavy rainfall over the weekend, a new spill occurred at the Kings Beach parking area. This was despite ongoing flow control measures via by-pass pumping in the harbour.
“The spill has since ceased. The affected area is currently undergoing cleaning and treatment (dosing) to reduce E. coli levels and eliminate unpleasant odours.
“Urgent work will be done on rectification. A newly appointed contractor has confirmed that the necessary pipes are readily available, and work is expected to be completed within 2-3 weeks, provided no additional collapses occur during excavation,” the statement read.
The municipality says it is monitoring the situation closely and continuing with water quality testing to assess when it will be safe to reopen the beach.
Ward 2 councillor Sean Tappan confirmed that the spill was unrelated to a blocked drain near the Chief Dawid Stuurman International Airport that caused a large-scale sewage spill early in June.
Read more: Kings Beach reopens after week-long sewage spill in Gqeberha
“It seems a main sewage line, running through an access-controlled area within the harbour, has collapsed. This was likely caused by prolonged exposure to heavy vehicle traffic in the area,” Tappan said.
He had been in contact with teams on the ground and confirmed that a specific 600mm pipe and specialised equipment had to be ordered. Repairs could take place only from around 16 August when the material arrived.
“For the time being, a pump has been put in place to divert sewage from that section of pipe to a nearby manhole.”
Tappan said under normal conditions, the temporary fix should be able to cope with demands placed on the sewage system. However, when heavy rain caused stormwater to flow through the sewage system, it sometimes led to overflows.
He said suggestions had been made to the municipality on ways to redirect sewage spills along Kings Beach to areas where it would not affect public health and safety, but it was unclear what the city’s official stance was on the matter.
“Meanwhile, we will continue to monitor the situation and keep the public informed. This is a major environmental health risk, and we advise the public to steer clear until the issue is resolved,” Tappan said.
The city’s woes along the coast continue as the popular Brighton Beach remains closed due to concerns over water contamination and the vandalism of public facilities.
Read more: Sewage pollution, vandalism to keep Nelson Mandela Bay beach closed until summer
Similarly, beachfront facilities at St George’s Strand, near Motherwell, have been closed for an extended period due to vandalism and unsafe conditions.
The DA’s Nelson Mandela Bay mayoral candidate for the upcoming local government elections, Retief Odendaal, said the metro desperately needed to invest in a sewer services master plan. He said the metro’s wastewater treatment plants and its pumps were ageing and had not been upgraded in years, but despite this, there was “virtually no plan”.
In addition, Odendaal said it appeared that there was zero accountability in the metro. He said that last month, when he had highlighted that Brighton Beach remained closed after six months because “substandard effluent (read sewage) was continuously pumped into the ocean”, the municipality’s response to media requests was that Brighton Beach would be opened within days.
“A month later, Brighton Beach is still closed, and this is now the second time that Kings Beach had to be closed due to sewer spills in the last month. I fear that the current administration is going to destroy what is left of our tourism industry if they continue like this. This should be a big deal to everyone because it has the ability to impact negatively on our economy,” he said. DM