[imagesource:wikimediacommons]

Cape Town’s famous beaches, long celebrated as world-class tourist havens, are under threat.

An independent investigation has uncovered widespread contamination of seawater along the Cape Peninsula, raising serious concerns about the health and safety of these beloved local gems. This is despite assurances from the City that its beaches have met all water quality standards.

RethinkTheStink’s Project Blue, a citizen-driven effort to test seawater quality at selected beaches during November and December 2024, has sounded the alarm. The study was launched in response to growing public concerns about seawater quality and the potential health risks posed by sewage pollution.

Beaches under scrutiny included iconic spots like Camps Bay and Clifton 4th Beach, both supposedly flying Blue Flag status for the 2024/25 season, as well as Maidens Cove, Saunders Rock, and Lagoon Beach.

Caroline Marx, director of RethinkTheStink, said Project Blue’s sampling met international standards and was analysed by SANAS-accredited laboratories, per IOL. These citizen driver projects are important to challenge the City’s research and to hold them accountable where appropriate.

Their findings revealed widespread contamination in Table Bay, with a staggering 42% of sampling dates showing E. coli and Enterococci levels above safety limits.

The report also showed that the Blue Flag Beaches affected were Camps Bay, with seawater results showing high Enterococci levels of more than 2419 cfu/100ml. It followed Clifton 4th Beach, which showed high Enterococci levels on two of the three dates tested.

Saunders’ Rock was also a concern, with high Enterococci levels on three of the four tested dates. Another area of concern was False Bay, with 38% of sampling dates showing unsafe contamination levels.

The Strand was identified as a particularly polluted area, with the Soet River carrying untreated waste into the ocean.

“The outdated belief that the ocean can simply dilute large quantities of sewage without causing environmental harm has been debunked repeatedly,” the report said.

This is a rude wake-up call for Capetonians and visitors alike, making us question the pristine waters we’ve come to cherish.

“In order to address sewage pollution of our beaches and the sea, the City needs to implement more advanced sewage treatment technologies, stringent regulations, regular monitoring, and build cooperation between the municipal authorities and the inhabitants of urban spaces as well as a much more detailed and timely warning system to inform beachgoers of any health risks that may be present as well as cordoning off sections of beaches when required so that inadvertent access can be prevented,” she said.

Closing a beach causes its own kind of problems, though. Per News24, Eastern Cape’s 10-day beach closure inflicted ‘immeasurable harm’ on village tourism.

Simply put, the city needs to dip deep into the coffers, and move mountains or something to sort this issue out.

Dr. Jo Barnes, from Stellenbosch University’s Department of Global Health Systems and Public Health, shed light on the dangers of sewage pollution.

“The first one is a vast array of potential disease-causing organisms and the other is an equally large group of harmful chemicals.

“The diseases that can potentially be acquired from contact with polluted seawater include diarrhoea, urinary tract infections, ear, eye and skin infections and some respiratory infections.”

She further emphasised that the impact of sewage pollution extends beyond human health. Marine life and plant ecosystems are equally vulnerable, with harmful contaminants disrupting delicate balances and threatening the biodiversity that makes Cape Town’s coastal waters so unique.

Naturally, the City is fluffing up against the research and noting that their own research shows different results. Deputy Mayor and Mayco member for Spatial Planning and Environment, Eddie Andrews, said Cape Town’s Blue Flag beaches were subjected to additional water sampling by a second seawater SANAS-accredited laboratory under the auspices of the Wildlife and Environment Society of SA.

“The City further notes findings of water sampling in the ‘Project Blue’ report, acknowledged by the authors to be a ‘very limited survey’. The report finds that, out of seven water samples at two Blue Flag beaches between 26 November to 6 December, one sample was above-guideline thresholds for Enterococci at Camps Bay, and two at Clifton 4th beach.

“While the exact locations of Project Blue sampling points are not known, nor has the City examined the testing protocols.”

Andrews said Camps Bay sampling tests over the past 12 months from four locations showed consistent high-quality water.

Wildlife and Environment Society of South Africa (Wessa) senior sustainability manager Tevya Lotriet said: “Some samples match what the city’s appointed independent lab has provided and others do not, likely due to sampling taking place on different dates but, as per the international Blue Flag protocol, Wessa has asked the city to investigate further.”

[sources:iol&citizen]