Alarmingly high E. coli levels in the picturesque Knysna Estuary and the town’s culverts have drawn the attention of national and provincial officials who were in the Garden Route on Thursday.
Water and sanitation deputy minister Isaac Sello Seitlholo, Western Cape water and sanitation head Ntombizanele Bila-Mupariwa and other stakeholders visited the Knysna wastewater plant to engage with the municipal management about its challenges.
The aim of the visit was to inspect the extent of pollution to freshwater resources.
The visit follows the release of results from independent tests that revealed high levels of E. coli in various waterways far exceeding the national department of water affairs guidelines for water quality for recreational use.
Three of eight estuaries contained more E. coli than the guideline with all the tested culverts exceeding the limit, causing panic in the greater Knysna region.
According to the national department of water affairs guidelines, target water quality for recreational use may not exceed 500 E. coli/100ml.
The estuary recreation points tested are:
- Belvidere: 57/100ml;
- Bollard Bay: 1/100ml;
- Costa Sarda 520,000/100ml;
- Crabs Creek: 44/100ml;
- Green Hole: 1,000/100ml;
- Lake Brenton 25/100ml;
- Salt River: 15,000/100ml;
- The Heads: 6/100m.
And the culverts are:
- Bigai: 900/100ml;
- Bongani: 37,000/100ml;
- Kada: 15,000/100ml;
- Long Street: 1,320/100ml;
- Queen Street: 810,000/100ml;
- Train Station: 15,000/100ml
During the tour, Anza Mabayi from the Breede-Olifants Catchment Management Agency (BOCMA) said they had raised the issue of stormwater ingression in reports submitted to the municipality.
“We have stated the need to come up with a plan to prevent stormwater ingress when there is that ingression.
“There’s a bypass that goes to the maturation pod and that bypass eventually goes to the discharge pod which affects the final quality of the effluent,” she said.
Knysna Municipality infrastructure manager Rhoydon Parry denied there was stormwater ingress.
After the visit to the wastewater plant, Seitlholo visited the Bongani Plant station before proceeding to Hornlee and the estuary.
At Bongani, councillor Beauty Charlie told the minister among the factors contributing to the blocked drains were the influx of shacks and people who extended their houses without consulting the municipality.
“There are people who reside in shacks that have tap water in their houses not connected by the municipality.
“In Knysna, we are faced with ... vandalism of municipal infrastructure.
“The municipality is dealing with this but the community destroys the property,” Charlie said.
Seitlholo said his visits in Knysna were to forge partnerships to ensure optimisation and the safeguarding of the infrastructure.
“The municipality should safeguard infrastructure and raise concerns about the high level of vandalism, which does not only cost millions of rand but reverses service delivery,” Seitlholo said. .
The Herald
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