the decision to reopen the beaches in Durban was due to improved water quality standards.
"The latest readings from Talbot, an independent laboratory taken on 3 November 2022 show that Country Club beach had an E. coli level of 1 267 CFU/100ml. With the critical E. coli level being 500 CFU/100ml this beach should have been closed to beachgoers, yet it remains open, stated Beesley. Benoît le Roy, a wastewater management expert with 40 years experience, and the CEO of the South African Water Chamber, told GroundUp there had long been a question over the competency of water sample collectors and the testing process.with the sewage pollution levels reported by the municipality.
The DWS system shows two sewage treatment works, central and southern, together have the capacity to release 461 million litres of effluent directly into the ocean per day. Both of them have a 0% compliance for microbiological treatment, which is the indicator for E. coli and other faecal bacteria. In August, 38-year-old Rashnie Baijnath died after having severe diarrhoea, thought to be caused by drinking contaminated water from a tap in Mariannhill. The eThekwini municipality
The eThekwini municipality acknowledged the sewage problem at a media briefing late last month, when Mayor Mxolisi Kaunda said R460 million would be needed to fix both the water treatment plants and pump stations. And on 27 October, the municipality released aoutlining some of the challenges its sanitation infrastructure suffered during the April floods.