- Milnerton Lagoon is heavily impacted by litter, especially plastic waste during winter months.
- Environmentalists and local authorities emphasise the need for collective efforts to address pollution.
- A proposed Water Quality Flag System aims to raise awareness of the environmental health risks.
“Tackling the litter problem requires a multi-prong approach including increased awareness, behaviour change and a drive towards less harmful packaging and products.”
These are the word of environmentalist Caroline Marx who is rallying behind a cleaner and waste-free Lagoon Beach in Milnerton.
Councillor Karl Bodin, a member of the Mayor’s Advisory Committee on Water Quality, recently accompanied Committee chair, Alex Lansdowne on a site visit to the Milnerton beachfront and Lagoon.
Litter on the Milnerton Lagoon caused havoc these winter months, leaving piled up plastic waste in its wake. The City’s cleaning crews are seen on the beach on a daily basis, cleaning up the waste.
Bodin says they met with Theresa Pakulski from the Milnerton Beach Safety and Milnerton Surf Lifesaving Club during the visit.
“We assessed the deposits of solid waste on the beach and the need for improved clean-ups. Pakulski discussed the need for improved beach signage, following tramatic drownings and near drownings in recent weeks. We will be finding solutions to best warn the public of dangerous conditions in the lagoon and to advise the public to stay clear of the water,” he says.
Lansdowne says the Milnerton Lagoon is a beautiful natural space that’s being degraded by human behaviour.
“City of Cape Town cleaning teams are working to remove the litter that’s washed onto the beaches. But it’s clear government cannot keep the beaches clean alone. All Capetonians need to make more of an effort to clean up Cape Town and prevent solid waste pollution,” he says.
Water quality concerns
Water Quality Awareness, an NPO and guardians highlighting the quality of our water bodies free from pollution said in a social media post they have written to the Mayor, Geordin Hill-Lewis, on the concerns of water quality regarding the chronic discharge of sewage and other litter into our beaches, “and fundamentally the need to establish a Water Quality Flag System akin to the Shark Spotters program would raise the awareness to the environmental health risks associated to poor water quality,” the post reads.
The group says, in conjunction to the establishment of a Water Quality Flag System, they have provided several cases of swimmers, surfers and paddlers that have become hospitalised and pathological reports illustrating the association to the infections stemming from bacteria overload, yet has fallen on ears of dismissal and denial.
“It appears the City of Cape Town vanity is to avoid any poor public stigma that might impact tourism yet ignores to uphold the Constitution Rights of Section 24: Section 24(b) of the Constitution provides that “everyone has the right to have the environment protected, for the benefit of present and future generations, through reasonable legislative and other measures that prevent pollution and ecological degradation [and] promote conservation.”
Save A Fishie also held regular beach clean-ups at Lagoon Beach, but says they came across other beaches, filled with much more waste than Lagoon Beach.
“I think we found the dirtiest beach in South Africa. Now you know me. You know what I’ve all seen. You’ve travelled with me around SA and we’ve visited and cleaned many beaches. Over 110, but this morning. Wow. I’m calling it.. Macassar Beach is the dirtiest,” says Zoë Prinsloo from Save A Fishie who recently celebrated its sixth birthday.
Prinsloo says they only tackled a small section of the 9 kilometre stretch of the beach. Howver, in this small section they filled 2 skips with a total weight of 2051 kilograms.
“That’s over 2 tons in about an hour and a half. Nearly the entire 9km stretch looks like this! A truly heartbreaking sight to see. We cleared 2 tons and honestly, we barely scratched the surface! So yes, we’ll definitely be back,” she says.
Prinsloo adds what was absolutely shocking was the number of lollipop sticks.
“I have no words. We need urgent help here! The City of Cape Town needs to make a plan. We need hundreds of hands to clean this stretch,” she says.
To help the team clean beaches, send an email to save.a.fishie@gmail.com
