[imagesource: Lynn Greyling / Public Domain Pictures]

Beaches with crystal-clean seawater get rewarded Blue Flags, which are internationally recognised eco-labels symbolising consistent standards of excellence.

While 51 beaches across South Africa get to fly their Blue Flags high for the next year, Durban is in the dirty water naughty corner with no flags.

At least for the next 12 months.

Managed by the Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) under the auspices of the Foundation for Environmental Education in Copenhagen, Denmark, Blue Flags are handed out annually to eligible beaches.

The Daily Maverick reported that for the 2023 season, 51 beaches, four marinas, and two tourism boats in our country had been awarded Blue Flag status. 33 of those 51 beaches are in the Western Cape, nine are in KwaZulu-Natal, and nine are in the Eastern Cape.

These beaches, marinas, and boats are on the list for successfully meeting 33 criteria related to water quality, environmental education and information, environmental management, and safety and services.

For reference, there are now over 5 000 Blue Flag beaches, marinas, and tourism boats worldwide.

Durban failed quite dismally on this front:

…largely because of the torrent of untreated human sewage and industrial wastewater still flowing into the sea after the devastating floods of April and May. The floods damaged several sewage treatment works and substations and further exacerbated the city’s recent poor record of managing its wastewater flows.

…Because Blue Flag status requires consistent quality to be demonstrated in at least 20 consecutive water samples, no Durban beaches can requalify until December 2023 at the earliest.

However, the City of Durban reckons some tourist beaches are fine enough to open after an improvement in water quality:

The eThekwini municipality said the decision to open these beaches was taken “after recent water tests conducted by experts confirmed that beach water is at an acceptable level for recreational activities”.

Beaches that are now open include Point, Ushaka, Addington, South, Wedge, North, Bay of Plenty, Battery, Country Club, Brighton, Reunion, Pipeline, Toti Main and Warner.

Umhlanga, Bronze, Westbrook, Laguna, Thekwini, Umdloti, Umgababa, and several other beaches remain closed.

Swim wisely if you find yourself in Durban over the festive season.

Apparently, Marina Beach on the KZN South Coast is the best, having managed to fly a Blue Flag for 21 years in a row. You can check out the Blue Flag awarded beaches in this PDF.

Hopefully, Durban can sort its shit out before the next Blue Flag ceremony.

[source:dailymaverick]