Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works - Enviromental Crime Complaint

[Umbilo River Community United]

Good Day,

RE: Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works, Boom St, Glen Park, Pinetown, 3610

We wish to complain about the disregard for the health of the environment and community alongside the Umbilo River in Durban KZN, The Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works, Boom St, Glen Park, Pinetown has the "Dy Beds" directly alongside the Umbilo river and these overflow directly into the Umbilo river causing major spikes in Ecoli levels in the river and a dreadful stench over the surrounding areas.

Below photo taken October 2020

The community has brought this to the attention of Ethekwini Municipality, and particularly the Head of Water and Sanitation, Mr Ednick Msweli on a number occasions and we have even had the Durban Mayor, Mr Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda visit in June 2020

https://www.iol.co.za/dailynews/news/kwazulu-natal/durban-mayor-steps-in-after-residents-raise-a-stink-about-umbilo-waste-water-works-pollution-49484194

It was brought to the community's attention from a contact within Ethekwini and I quote "The sludge and the stockpiling of the hardcake on the river banks immediately downstream of the drying beds was identified as an imminent ecological threat more than 12 yrs ago."

This sludge has been building up for years, and there are literally "hills" of this that have been created around the Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works, These pile have also recently spontaneously combusted and blanketed the entire area in a pungent smoke which by no means can be healthy? The community made contact with a private lab to perform an ambient air quality test, and only then it seems the municipality has somehow managed to stop the stench and the fires that continue for weeks in the piles of sludge.

These are the recent results....

 

UMBILO RIVER

BOOM STREET

07:12 / 28.09.2020

E.coli MPN/100mℓ 30800

 

UMBILO RIVER

PHILLIPS ROAD

06:57 / 28.09.2020

E.coli MPN/100mℓ 24200

UMBILO RIVER

BOOM STREET

07:13 / 21.09.2020

E.coli MPN/100mℓ 921

 

UMBILO RIVER

PHILLIPS ROAD

07:02 / 21.09.2020

E.coli MPN/100mℓ 24200

UMBILO RIVER

BOOM STREET

06:55 15.09.2020

E.coli MPN/100mℓ 98000

 

UMBILO RIVER

PHILLIPS ROAD

06:40 15.09.2020

E.coli MPN/100mℓ 57900

This is a photo of water taken of river water after rainfall a few kilometers downstream from the Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works (Currie Crescent, Escombe, 4093)

It is clear the sludge washing into the river is a major problem and concern, both for the health of the community and the environment.

Please, As a community we have been trying to have this resolved for an extended period of time and our pleas fall upon deaf ear, We need action to be taken and this to be addressed... and resolved urgently.

For the sake of our community and our environment.

Please note,

Just downstream of the Umbilo WasteWater works is also the 4 STAR Queensburgh Caravan Park, which attracts local and international tourists, these poor people have had to directly answer both local and international tourists as to what the smell is, and what the black sediment on the river banks is - direct result from what I have written all above.

The Umbilo River also flows into the Durban harbour directly into a national heritage site, and this will affect the blue flag status of our Ethekwini beaches and tourism opportunities.

Please see attached, With our annual rainy season now upon us, this is going to get worse yet again.

Thanking you.

Sandra Streak

for and on behalf of The Umbilo River Community.

[Umbilo River Community United]

[Liz Naylor]

Good Day

 

Please can you advise if you can assist and/or advise the community here. This is situation has become desperate and this community has been trying for many years to get the situation resolved.  If you are able to assist here please can you forward this email to the relevant department and ask them to please contact the Umbilo River Community groups.

 

Thank you for your kind attention in this matter – it is greatly appreciated.

 

Kind Regards

 

Liz Naylor

--
Please invite interested parties to Umbilo River Community
 
Umbilo River Community
 
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/umbilo-river-community
 
link to view files:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ISOE25-_0Iw9iR0_4Imfj6I9ugKe-cYX?usp=sharing
 
Everyone is urged to make a stand and do what you can with this information within your abilities and means.
 
Email Address: umbilorive...@gmail.com
 
Google Groups email address to send to everyone:
Umbilo-rive...@googlegroups.com
 
We are all in this together!
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[Sandra Streak]

Good Afternoon Derek,

Our Ward Councillor, Chris Van Den Berg has advised that he has raised the concerns regarding the issue of the Umbilo River to the Roosfontein Advisory Forum.

He says you as The Chair of the meeting would like to engage with us.

Please see the follow links

Umbilo River Community
 
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/umbilo-river-community
 
link to view files:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ISOE25-_0Iw9iR0_4Imfj6I9ugKe-cYX?usp=sharing

Please, This has been a serious issue for an extended period of time, any assistance would be greatly appreciated.

Thanking you

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Umbilo River Community United <umbilorive...@gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 12:37 PM
Subject: Fwd: Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works - Enviromental Crime Complaint

To: <envir...@environment.gov.za>
Cc: <Umbilo-rive...@googlegroups.com>

--

Please invite interested parties to Umbilo River Community
 
Umbilo River Community
 
https://groups.google.com/d/forum/umbilo-river-community
 
link to view files:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1ISOE25-_0Iw9iR0_4Imfj6I9ugKe-cYX?usp=sharing
 
Everyone is urged to make a stand and do what you can with this information within your abilities and means.
 
Email Address: umbilorive...@gmail.com
 
Google Groups email address to send to everyone:
Umbilo-rive...@googlegroups.com
 
We are all in this together!
---
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Umbilo River Community" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to umbilo-river-comm...@googlegroups.com.
To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/umbilo-river-community/CAN28rvoJJyzD%3Dmedk9-Ya7o-MaMBiqymYRvF7-pwfD_GuiQ%2B_A%40mail.gmail.com.

--

Yours Sincerely

 Sandra Streak

Tel: 0822271179

Email: streak...@gmail.com

[Umbilo River Community United]

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: <Han...@thehotline.co.za>
Date: Fri, Oct 9, 2020 at 3:28 PM
Subject: Re: Fwd: Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works - Enviromental Crime Complaint
To: Umbilo River Community United <umbilorive...@gmail.com>
Cc: <harrya...@gmail.com>, callcentre <callc...@environment.gov.za>

Good day,

Your reference number is ENV07386.

Thank you

	Hanlie Strydom Call Centre Manager
	Tel   +27 12 001 7641 Email  off...@thehotline.co.za	Fax2mail  +27 086 726 1681 Web    www.thehotline.co.za
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From:        "Umbilo River Community United" <umbilorive...@gmail.com>
To:        envir...@environment.gov.za
Cc:        Umbilo-rive...@googlegroups.com
Date:        2020/10/09 12:38 PM
Subject:        Fwd: Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works - Enviromental Crime Complaint

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Management..[attachment "WhatsApp Image 2020-10-08 at 9.38.46 AM.jpeg" deleted by Hanlie Strydom/The Hotline] [attachment "GreenPeace Africa, community petition to save polluted Umbilo River.pdf" deleted by Hanlie Strydom/The Hotline] [attachment "Durban Mayor steps in after residents raise a stink about Umbilo Waste Water Works 'pollution'.pdf" deleted by Hanlie Strydom/The Hotline] [attachment "Residents meet with city officials over uMbilo River.pdf" deleted by Hanlie Strydom/The Hotline] [attachment "Queensburgh residents cry a river over the state of the uMbilo River.pdf" deleted by Hanlie Strydom/The Hotline] [attachment "High levels of E. coli bacteria found in KZN river.pdf" deleted by Hanlie Strydom/The Hotline]

[Terry Stewart]

Good morning

There is no problem raising this as an item of concern at the Roosefontein Advisory committee but it is not the place to try resolve these issues and will result in a conflict of mandates.  The correct method is to continue working with Metro Water and Sanitation, ward committee and council structures who can influence the allocation of funds to address the issues of old infrastructure and historic stockpiles of old sludge.  It should also be noted that whilst the recycling of sludge / hard cake is problematic due to the presence of human pathogens and parasitic organisms (eg Ascaris lumbricoides) which prevents the sludge from being readily used as fertiliser, simply hauling the sludge to Hamarsdale doesn’t tell us much about the long term disposal / recycling of this waste.

 

 

 

Regards

Terry Stewart

 

 

 

 

This is a photo of water taken of river water after rainfall a few kilometers downstream from the Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works (Currie Crescent, Escombe, 4093)

It is clear the sludge washing into the river is a major problem and concern, both for the health of the community and the environment.

 

 

To view this discussion on the web visit https://groups.google.com/d/msgid/umbilo-river-community/CAE2tLC8oAZoy%3DMW8_oCHh9Mi2qhdwQOkowq%2BmQrpbfr83ySeeA%40mail.gmail.com.

[Sandra Streak]

Good Afternoon Derrek,

Thank you, and it is truly appreciated that these issues were mentioned in your Advisory Forum.

Awareness is key, and any and all assistance in regards to preventing such eco-cide is valuable.

Terry, Thank you as well for your engagement and suggestions, and taking action to keep members of the community out of the water at Paradise Valley with these dangerous E-Coli levels being experienced.

The Umbilo River Community and others are continuously engaging with the municipality, the feedback is vague and continual mention of lack of budget.

However, something needs to be done.

We have reported this as an environmental crime to the Vuvuzela Hotline.

On Tue, Oct 13, 2020 at 4:17 PM Derrek Ruiters <Derrek....@kznwildlife.com> wrote:

Hi Sandra

Thank you for you email. The matter was indeed tabled at our Advisory Forum and the suggestion was to form part of a collective “catchment management forum” which tackles issues related to water quality management. This is a generic issue across the city, province and country. Since the meeting, the Paradise Valley manager Terry Steward has advised us that the allocation of funds to address the issues of old infrastructure and historic stockpiles of old sludge is the key issue.

 

Terry further advised that the correct method is to continue working with Metro Water and Sanitation, Ward committee and council structures who can influence the allocation of funds. What would be ideal is a response from the Metro Water and Sanitation department on the awareness of the pollution and an indication of a strategy in place to address the funding or other criteria to rectify the problem. Has this been requested from Metro Water and Sanitation? I would imagine they look at the Metro Water and Sanitation requirements s as whole when prioritising efforts at maintenance.  

 

Regards Derrek Ruiters

Chair Roosfontein Advisory Forum

 

 

 

 

This is a photo of water taken of river water after rainfall a few kilometers downstream from the Umbilo Wastewater Treatment Works (Currie Crescent, Escombe, 4093)

It is clear the sludge washing into the river is a major problem and concern, both for the health of the community and the environment.