Coast KZN

State of the Coast: KZN
State of the Coast: KZN

State of the Coast: KwaZulu-Natal Chapter 1: Introduction & Background Chapter 2: Overarching Drivers Chapter 3: Climate Variability
Chapter 4: Coastal Environment Chapter 5: Estuarine Environment Chapter 6: Marine Environment Chapter 7: Human Environment Chapter 8: Economic Environment
Chapter 9: Governance Environment Chapter 10: Conclusions
The Profile of the KZN Coast
The Profile of the KZN Coast

Ugu Lwethu- Our Coast Defining the Coastal Zone The Physical and Coastal Environment Coastal and Marine Ecosystems
Coastal and Marine Species Migrations The Human Dimension Socio-Economic Uses of the Coast Commercial Resource Uses
Pressures and Threats Management of the Coastal and Marine Environments Understanding our Coast
Coastal access
Coastal access

Access RoutesBoat Launch SitesThe Human DimensionCoastal Access: Stats & Facts
Estuaries
Estuaries

What is an Estuary? Know your Estuaries Estuary Health and Conservation KZN Estuary Observer Programme
Historical Time Series Estuary Mouth Status Sand Mining
Recreation
Recreation

Fish TaggingAccess RoutesBlue Flag Beaches
Coastal risk and vulnerability
Coastal risk and vulnerability

Coastal Risk LinesExtreme EventsCoastal ErosionKZN Coastal Vulnerability IndexPollution
Coastal issues
Coastal issues

PollutionSand MiningCoastal ErosionNurdlesUPL Chemical Spill
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02 Nov 2016

Umkomaas beach foams after mill spill

Kerushan Pillay (The Mercury)

A boat owner attempts to pull his ski-boat out of the foam after waves of it washed up on the beach at Umkomaas yesterday.

“The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance is calling for a public hearing where pulp and paper company Sappi would have to account for waste it allegedly dumped causing Umkomaas beach to foam up yesterday.“

Waves of foam three to four metres high washed up on the beach yesterday morning, witnesses said.

A witness and the Environmental Alliance lay the blame at the nearby Sappi-Saiccor mill.

Craig Daniel, the environmental manager for SappiSaiccor Umkomaas, declined to comment last night, but referred to a company statement that said a leak let out a “small amount of detergent from the Sappi-Saiccor mill”.

“There are controls in place to prevent this from happening. However, it appears that a leak developed in the collection weir resulting in the release,” the company said.

A witness and the alliance said the mill had illegally dumped a substance that “looked like detergent” out of a pipe which flows into the Umkomaas river. The detergent, they said, ended up on the beach in the low tide.

“I was here the whole morning. I noticed the sea foaming up at about 10am,” the witness said.

“A substance got released into the water, I think it was a chemical used in a bleaching plant.”

The witness said it was “not as foamy” by yesterday afternoon.

The alliance’s spokesman Desmond D’sa said: “We’re calling for a public hearing into this. Sappi needs to be held accountable.

“It is a serious issue. It (the Umkomaas) is a highly polluted river because of waste. “Serious action needs to be taken.”

He said the foam would have been a serious danger to marine life.

“It’s like a blanket so fish can’t breathe oxygen – it kills the oxygen supply.”