East London residents, including the thousands of children who are enjoying school holidays, have been warned against swimming in the Quenera River next to Bonza Bay Beach because of a sewage spill that has contaminated the water.
When the Daily Dispatch visited the popular river on Wednesday afternoon, sewage could be seen floating on the water.
And despite three signs warning people against swimming, 25 children and three dogs were in fact doing so in the contaminated water, while two adults watched from the riverbank.
East London Museum’s principal scientist Kevin Cole, who was in the area, informed bathers about the situation.
“There are clearly visible signs of pollution in the water.
“The sewage is not flowing through to the sea so what you see is sewage being trapped in an area right in front of the signs that say ‘do not swim’ and it is written in Xhosa as well,” Cole said.
He urged parents to find alternative activities for their children during the school holidays.
“We have a whole lot of kids now, during the holiday season, coming down and they are swimming in this polluted water.
“We are appealing to parents to be vigilant with children. Swimming in a polluted area like this can make them sick.
“It is difficult when it’s holidays and the kids want to have fun to explain exactly the consequences of swallowing this polluted water and getting sick, so it is a shared responsibility. The parents and authorities need to make it very clear that children should not swim,” Cole said...