Disappointment as E.coli cancels World Ocean Day swim
An ocean conservationist has pointed to the irony of having to cancel the World Ocean Day swim due to the high levels of E.coli in Durban waters.
Event organiser and endurance swimmer Sarah Ferguson says the annual fundraiser was first postponed in June because of the floods in April.
It was rescheduled for this Saturday, but more than a dozen beaches along the eThekwini coastline have been shut due to poor water quality.
READ: Poor water quality leads to eThekwini beach closures
"This is very unfortunate for us and for the swimmers and for the people who trained. There's a lot of orgainisation that goes into an event, so to cancel was quite a big decision. There is no knowing when the beaches will be opened again and when it will be safe, so we have to just cancel and hope for the best for next year."
Ferguson says the state of the water shows that nothing is being done to fix infrastructure.
"The pollution and the chemicals and the E.coli, it is now more than ever - it is in our faces and it is something that we are tackling with. Our beaches are closed, if you go to Umhlanga, it smells, it is devastating.
"You drive over the bridge and you can smell the sewage. So I think an event like this is essential to just highlight the need to protect the ocean, from an individual to a cooperate to government level. We are really disappointed with the way this has been handled."
ALSO READ: Closed beaches leaves KZN lifeguards’ livelihoods hanging in the balance
World Ocean Day was commemorated on the 8th of June under the theme "Revitalisation: Collective Action for the Ocean".
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