Durban beaches closed due to high e.coli levels

Durban

Durban — Authorities in eThekwini Municipality have revealed that the e.coli levels in Durban beaches are 10 times higher than the limit, leading to beach closures.

Six beaches along the coast of Durban were forced to close to the public after the municipality, along with it’s partners — Adopt-a-River and Talbot — did tests that revealed all the beaches fell into the categories of “poor” and “critical” as per the municipality and Talbot’s criteria, IOL reported.

The beaches include Ushaka, Point Beach, South Beach, North Beach, Battery Beach, and Country Club Beach.

The municipality said it was common to see such high levels after a heavy rain, which causes pollution from multiple rivers and streams to enter the ocean.

“It is common to have poor water quality when heavy rains continue to batter the city. This results in pollution, including foreign objects washing from rivers and streams, as well as other water sources, into the ocean.”

“The beaches with “poor” water quality have been closed while re-sampling and monitoring of the beaches continue,” they said.

The high levels of E. coli in the water are a result of the damaged infrastructure that happened during the flood in April 2022 and have since warranted consistent testing on the part of the municipality and independent organisations to ensure the safety of residents.

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Compiled by Matthew Petersen

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