It is unacceptable, in the FF Plus’s view, that the City of Cape Town removed a sign warning people against Hout Bay Beach’s polluted water.
The City’s irresponsible action could seriously jeopardise the health and safety of swimmers, surfers and paddlers.
The City of Cape Town initially instructed lifeguards to erect a sign warning swimmers that the sea water is polluted and unsafe for swimming.
The sign was, however, removed again soon after the FF Plus brought the serious sewage pollution of the City’s swimming beaches to the public’s attention.
This was an irresponsible decision.
Dr Jo Barnes, an epidemiologist and senior lecturer at the Stellenbosch University’s Department for Global Health, Health Systems and Public Health, recently found in an independent study that the Disa River which flows into Hout Bay Beach has alarmingly high levels of E. coli that increase as it gets closer to the sea.
As far as the pollution of Hout Bay Beach is concerned, it is ironic that a mere 100 m from where the initial warning sign was removed a permanent sign has been erected warning that the water is polluted, that it poses a health risk and that it should be used at one’s own risk.
With the December holidays just around the corner, thousands of residents and visitors will flock to Hout Bay Beach without realising that they are exposing themselves to serious health risks.
The FF Plus will demand in the next council meeting that the City immediately takes action to erect the necessary warning signs on beaches where there is a risk of sewage pollution.
The time has also come for the City of Cape Town to urgently address the constant sewage pollution of certain coastal regions spanning decades and to stop trying to cover up the problem cosmetically.
