WATCH: Something's fishy at Isipingo Lagoon as sewage spill blamed for dead fish
A Durban environmentalist says Isipingo Beach Lagoon should be closed completely to members of the public after hundreds of dead fish washed up on shore.
"They haven't closed off or cornered off, and they have no security there," says Desmond D'sa, who is with the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance.
"Putting up a notice is after the fact. It is not dealing with the symptoms and it's not dealing with ensuring that people don't take that fish home and eat because people are hungry and unemployed in this country."
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He was called to the beach on Tuesday by local fishermen who spotted the fish.
D'sa says judging by the strong, pungent smell in the air their deaths could be related to a sewage spill.
Local fishermen in Isipingo have been left distraught after black polluted water has killed nearly 1000s of fish in the Isipingo Lagoon. pic.twitter.com/sgEeYLBcBa
— ECR_Newswatch (@ECR_Newswatch) August 10, 2022
He says this has happened before.
"Resulting in the sewage being dumped into Isipingo lagoon, killing all the fish. These people that live there had problems during the April floods, a lot of them, their homes were damaged.
"So this is the second incident of this nature happening in their area where they now have to live with sewerage for the next few days - a strong smell, dead fish, hundreds of fish in the lagoon and this is surrounding their homes."
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Meanwhile, eThekwini Municipality published a public notice confirming an issue at a local pump station, saying access to the affected water courses will be prohibited until it completes repairs there.
It's asked people not to collect or eat the dead fish.
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