Concerns over 'lack of clarity' on Durban beach water quality
Even though eThekwini's reopened more beaches to the public, a local fisherman says there's still no clarity on the quality of the water.
The City said on Tuesday that the latest analysis of water samples shows that some beaches are now safe for swimming, surfing and other activities.
It's reopened Point, uShaka, Addington, South and Wedge Beach, North, Bay of Plenty, Battery, Country Club, Brighton, Reunion, Pipeline, Toti Main, and Warner beaches.
However, Westbrook, Bronze, Laguna Beach, uMhlanga, eThekwini, uMdloti and uMgababa beaches remain off-limits.
READ: eThekwini reopens more beaches as water quality improves
Jarid Norman, a spearfisherman and owner of a charter company in Umhlanga, has appealed to the municipality to get to the heart of the problem.
"What I found is happening is that every time they open a beach, something else goes wrong and the water levels go down again. There isn't actually any work being done on the waterworks themselves.
"They are being maintained at a level instead of being improved and fixed so we are not getting these problems. They are really just putting a plaster over the problem instead of actually fixing the problems."
Norman says like everyone else in Durban, he's been affected by the ongoing water quality issues.
"I have had minimal tourism because of the water quality. I have had to start a new job. As a spearfisherman, I haven't gotten into the water since my shark incident. The water quality has been so bad that I can't even risk going into the water for fear of infection."
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"Even eating or having anything from the ocean is a risk because it is not just us that is being affected – everything that's in the water is toxic."
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