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Best wishes and take care this Festive Season

Best wishes and take care this Festive Season

Author: Geoff D A Pullan
Date: 2012-12-19
The Christmas holidays are here again. Please take extra special care on the roads, and in the water. We have already had one death on the M4 at Genazzano and one drowning, last week, in the Umdloti lagoon at La Mercy.

The FESMAC [Festive Management Committee] operational plan is in place, and extra personnel are on duty for everyone's safety and protection. Unfortunately we can't put lifeguards on call at every stretch of water, so only swim where there are lifeguards on duty.

There has been much press coverage of the state of our seawater in eThekwini. Some saying it is terrible and some saying it is better than elsewhere. Well there is a bit of truth in both.

Where the city has overflowing and raw sewage spilling into our streams, rivers and storm water pipes - don't venture into the sea near these outfalls. From the statistics, this appears to affect the central and southern beaches.

We are fortunate that at Umhlanga, Umdloti and Westbrook Beach [the northern eThekwini beaches] the sea is in pretty good condition.

When the City Manager has finished "squaring up" with his predecessor [R10 million Mike] maybe he can focus on re-applying for Blue Flag beaches for us.

In Durban, on Friday 30 Nov 2012. There were two sewer overflows, one near Suncoast and the other near uShaka. In both instances, sewer manholes had surcharged during the heavy rains.

Officials suggest that someone had connected their storm water drains into the municipal sewer. A counter view, with so much rain, is it possible that some sections of sewer were just inundated with rainwater?

The upgrade of the Durban beachfront, from Sunkist to Blue Lagoon is still under construction. This means that there will be extra pressure on our northern beaches, as 4 or 5 Durban beach areas will be closed throughout the summer.

As in the past, the Metro has put in place Residents' Access Discs for both Umdloti and Westbrook Beach, the two suburbs where homes and beach facilities use the same access roads.

These discs are permits for residents who live in these areas, and they give clearance through to their homes when the road is jammed with beachgoers.

The permits really assist officials, because it saves a tedious interrogation in a queue of cars. Show the permit, and they will let you through!

The Residents' Access Discs for Umdloti are being distributed through the Umdloti UIP.

COMPLEXES: Don Smith - 0824503465 - donjsmith@global.co.za

HOUSES: Bellamont Road: Shaun Steyn - 0829216327-shaun@fluidblue.co.za, North Beach Road: Don Smith - 0824503465 - donjsmith@global.co.za, South Beach Road: Sue Foster - 0833340066 - fostersue46@gmail.com

If you cannot get hold of any of the above mentioned people, please contact Alecia Pienaar on: 082 805 2388 - alecia@east.oficina.co.za

The Residents' Access Discs for Westbrook Beach are available at 82 North Beach Road - 032 9432021

My best wishes to all our residents and visitors alike. Please take care over the festive season. Don't drink and drive, and for your safety there will be the usual roadblocks.

I look forward to being of service to you all in 2013, and finally, look after our environment it's the only one we have.