If you have any heart at all you would have by now seen these images of Cape Town’s coastline. They make the water look less than inviting, and rather that of something that might suck you in and kill you. You should, by now, be in a mild state of panic that there is a large amount of poop floating very, very close to where we swim/paddle/surf/dive:
The images were taking by Jean Tresfon, a Marine Conservation Photographer, and have sparked quite a bit of interest. They show excessive amounts of “grey water” – that’s “the water from your shower, your dishwasher, your sink, and your washing machine – everything that is flushed down plug holes, sinks, and drains”, including your toilet.
The City of Cape Town operates three marine outfalls that discharge wastewater 1,7 kms from the shoreline at a depth of 28 metres, where the effluent is supposedly safely dispersed away from the coast.
Thankfully, people are jumping on board in protest of this grey water, and News24 got hold of The City of Cape Town. They spoke to Jean, the City of Cape Town and a public health specialist in the hopes of gaining a better understanding of what’s going on.
In the meantime, just be thankful it is winter and the beach is a no-go area.
[Source: News24 and Wavescape]
