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HUGE amounts of raw sewage spilling into Eastern Cape rivers have raised major health and environmental concerns and could have disastrous effects on beaches.

Polluted rivers include the Sundays, the Swartkops near Redhouse outside Port Elizabeth, and the Kowie at Port Alfred.

Tourism is also at risk as pollution from these rivers flows into the sea and threatens to undermine the safety of the region’s beaches.

The latest spills follow reports last week that there was sewage running down several streets in Port Alfred, which swamped businesses. Municipal officials battled after raw sewage poured into the river following a pump failure.

The Sundays River Municipality is also under pressure after three main water pumps in the Sundays River broke, allowing sewage to feed into it.

When The Herald visited the area this week, sewage was pouring into the river, accompanied by a pungent stench.

The sewage pipeline was overflowing, manhole covers had been removed, and large heaps of raw effluent and used condoms were piling up near the pumps.

A water conservationist, who did not want to be named, said he had informed municipal officials on several occasions about the problem, but they had failed to act.

“I’m really worried about people’s health because everybody’s been scooping water from the river and that could cause illnesses.

“There are no barriers or sump covers, so someone could fall into the sewage,” the conservationist said.

A councillor in the area, Steph Delport (DA), said that due to mismanagement of finances and alleged corruption, the municipality was bankrupt and did not have money to fix the pumps.

“It’s thanks to (former municipal manager Simphiwo) Sohena and his incompetent officials that the Sundays River Municipality is in such a mess.

“The municipality is bankrupt. We owe R29-million to various creditors and service providers and we only have about R1,4-million in our coffers. If the MEC does not step in, we will be in an even bigger mess.

“The municipality was supposed to fix the three pumps, but there’s just no money. There was an electrical contractor who they got to fix the pump, but the municipality couldn’t pay him, so he left.”

While the Swartkops River looks cleaner, Zwartkops Trust conservation officer Jenny Rump said the pollution and E.coli readings at the Motherwell storm-water canal were extremely high.

The water quality has threatened the annual Redhouse River Mile event, which is set to take place in February,

“We are very worried about the pollution in the river – it should never be that high,” said Rump.

“Recently, we discovered hundreds of dead fish lower down the Swartkops.

“At Redhouse, the readings are okay, although we are worried about what they will be at the time of the River Mile competition because of the sewage that’s polluting the water.”

“The sewage pumps are blocked because people have been stealing the manhole covers. The litter then piles up and they get cluttered, and then the sewage ends up flowing straight into the river.”

Spokesman Kupido Baron said the Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality was taking weekly samples from the Swartkops River. “There’s definitely a problem with pollution in the water, but we’re monitoring it closely. Fortunately, people don’t drink the water, because it flows straight into the sea.

“The readings at Redhouse are fine in terms of E.coli levels. The bacteria in the water are as a result of the drought and no consistent rain.

“The Motherwell canal, however, does have a lot of pollution and we are aware of it. There’s currently an environmental management plan for the area, but government programmes won’t be the lasting solution on their own.

“People need to change their mindsets.”

Wildlife and Environment Society conservation officer Morgan Griffiths, who is also the regional manager of the flagship Blue Flag Beach programme, said quality tests of Nelson Mandela Bay waters had so far shown nothing unacceptable.

But the flood of effluent into local rivers posed a serious health threat to bathers and tourism, he warned.

“Sewage contains E.coli and streptococci bacteria.

“Although this bacteria is killed by salt water, the E.coli remains alive for at least eight hours and the streptococci for up to 50 hours if the water is warm,” said Griffiths.

Sewage typically also contained other debris, from used condoms to a myriad other kinds of plastic and even syringe needles, he noted.

“This sewage outfall of ours contributes to this crisis. More immediately, it is a serious human health problem, conducive to the outbreak of cholera and typhoid.”

Nelson Mandela Bay could also not afford, just before the Fifa World Cup, to have tourists worried about swimming in Algoa Bay, he said. Durban’s visitor numbers had fallen off since it lost its Blue Flag beaches in March last year due to sewage pollution.