Popular sites within Knysna Estuary safe
Albert Lombard, Knysna Tourism NPC chairman of the board, Albert Lombard expressed his gratitude that the majority of popular Knysna estuary recreational sites have not been affected by the recent E.coli pollution, allowing tourists and residents to enjoy its beauty without fear.
On hearing about the recent pollution KT NPC expressed its deep concern over the continuous pollution of Knysna’s iconic estuary.
“Greater Knysna relies heavily on our tourism industry, and pollution to our estuary will definitely have a negative effect on our economy”, said Lombard.
He added: “Although the pollution remains of grave concern, we are extremely relieved that the problem has not affected the majority of our popular estuary’s recreational sites. Thankfully the pure volume of clean water that enters during the tide changes ‘washes’ most of the offending pollution out through the Heads into the ocean. This does not make the pollution any less serious, or by any means acceptable, but does reduce the extent of the damage to our estuary.”
The recent E.coli contamination within the Knysna estuary was traced back to the levels of oil and grease in the WWTW being at a record high. This resulted in the killing off of the “good bacteria” introduced to balance e. Coli levels within the WWTW before being released, resulting. This contamination resulted in the unacceptable levels of E.coli bacteria recorded in certain areas.
The most recent water samples taking within the Knysna Estuary by the Garden Route District Municipality showed that most of the popular tourism recreational sites remain unaffected by this pollution.
According to Nandi Mgwadlamba, SANParks Garden Route National Park, Regional Communications Manager, water samples showed that the unaffected areas include – The Heads, Bollard Bay, the Point, Salt River, Crabs Creek, and Bigai were compliant and therefore not affected by the recent pollution.
Signage has been erected at various sites, which include the Ashmead Channel, Green Hole and outside the WWTW, warning recreation users not to fish, collect bait or swim.
According to Mgwadlamba, the deep-water samples taken by SANParks in the contaminated areas looked positive, meaning that the animal (such as the Knysna seahorse) and plant life in those areas might not be affected by the spikes in E. coli.
“I must reiterate that although fishing in the estuary at certain sites is currently prohibited, the fish in our restaurants are not sourced from these sites and are perfectly safe to consume,” said Lombard.
In closing, he said: “We as KT NPC is monitoring this situation closely and are grateful to Knysna and Garden Route Municipalities and SANParks for all they are doing to contain this and prevent further spills. I call on the public to please help by reporting any suspicious behaviour that will cause harm to our WWTW to 044 302 6331 or 6332. The perpetrators who caused this serious contamination within the WWTW must be brought to book.“