News / National
Cape Town discharges +40 megalitres of sewage into the Atlantic Ocean daily
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Urban water bodies worldwide - including rivers, lakes, and oceans - are under significant threat from pollution. Large volumes of sewage discharged into the environment cause severe damage, while new chemicals and pharmaceutical compounds do not naturally break down. When these substances enter the environment, they accumulate in living tissues along the food chain, posing numerous health risks.
Cape Town, South Africa, is no exception to this global crisis. The city boasts 300 kilometers of coastline along two bays and a peninsula, as well as several rivers and wetlands. However, it discharges more than 40 megalitres of raw sewage daily directly into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, poorly treated sewage and runoff from informal settlements flow into rivers and ultimately into the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Over nearly a decade, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, alongside others, has studied contamination risks in Cape Town's oceans, rivers, aquifers, and lakes. Their aim has been to provide evidence of these environmental hazards to officials responsible for safeguarding a clean environment.
Monitoring sewage levels is critical because contaminated water threatens public health across the spectrum - from farmers to surfers and those consuming fish and vegetables. This monitoring must be carried out scientifically and produce trustworthy data, free from influence by vested interests. Achieving this is particularly challenging in cities like Cape Town, where scientific findings are often expected to support tourism marketing or political narratives.
The team's research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and shared with the public through media articles, a dedicated website, and a documentary. To effectively address these risks, the researchers argue that institutional conflicts of interest must be eliminated. They also call for reforms in how city-funded water testing is conducted and when data is released to the public. After all, it is the citizens' taxes funding this testing, and the South African constitution guarantees the right to access such information.
Furthermore, the city's political leaders need to acknowledge that the current wastewater treatment infrastructure is inadequate for a metropolis exceeding five million people. Recognizing this failure would open the door to rethinking Cape Town's approach to wastewater management.
The researchers categorized the communication issues around contaminants into four types: nondisclosure of data; misinformation that provides a partial or misleading account of scientific findings; misuse of city-funded science to bolster political authority; and reliance on limited, infrequent data points to define the state of water bodies as static, ignoring their constant movement and change.
Their investigations uncovered multiple examples of miscommunication, leading to specific recommendations. They urge municipalities to address conflicts of interest where entities tasked with protecting water health also contract consultancies - often for profit - to conduct research, thereby calling into question the independence of scientific results.
Data transparency also demands urgent attention. Water quality results for beaches are often published a week or more after sampling, which is ineffective given the ever-changing nature of water currents. Best practices involve using water current models to provide real-time predictions of contaminated zones based on daily weather and ocean conditions. Additionally, presenting contamination data as 12-month rolling averages smooths out spikes, masking the true risk variations under different conditions.
Political accountability is essential. Politicians must be responsible for their public scientific statements, and independent bodies such as the Academy of Science of South Africa should be empowered to audit municipal scientific communications.
The researchers also caution against government officials dismissing independent scientific data, which stifles inquiry and silences critical voices. Protecting the integrity of scientific findings is paramount, especially as many cities tend to prioritize brand management and political image over transparent environmental communication. The risk is that city-funded science becomes marketing material, presented as indisputable truth rather than open inquiry.
Ultimately, Cape Town needs political leaders courageous enough to face two hard truths: current science communications are inadequate in serving the public interest, and relying on outdated wastewater systems that discharge untreated waste into rivers and oceans is no longer acceptable. Both issues demand urgent reform.
The research team has worked alongside communities severely affected by environmental contamination, documenting ecological, health, and economic harm, only to face denial from officials. They welcome recent positive steps toward data transparency, including the rescinding of a 2021 bylaw that banned independent scientific testing of water bodies, most of which are classified as nature reserves.
The researchers call for open dialogue aimed at building strong, credible public science communication. Their study is dedicated to the late Mpharu Hloyi, former head of Scientific Services at the City of Cape Town, whose dedication to urban water health was a significant loss to all.
Cape Town, South Africa, is no exception to this global crisis. The city boasts 300 kilometers of coastline along two bays and a peninsula, as well as several rivers and wetlands. However, it discharges more than 40 megalitres of raw sewage daily directly into the Atlantic Ocean. In addition, poorly treated sewage and runoff from informal settlements flow into rivers and ultimately into the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Over nearly a decade, a multidisciplinary team of researchers, alongside others, has studied contamination risks in Cape Town's oceans, rivers, aquifers, and lakes. Their aim has been to provide evidence of these environmental hazards to officials responsible for safeguarding a clean environment.
Monitoring sewage levels is critical because contaminated water threatens public health across the spectrum - from farmers to surfers and those consuming fish and vegetables. This monitoring must be carried out scientifically and produce trustworthy data, free from influence by vested interests. Achieving this is particularly challenging in cities like Cape Town, where scientific findings are often expected to support tourism marketing or political narratives.
The team's research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and shared with the public through media articles, a dedicated website, and a documentary. To effectively address these risks, the researchers argue that institutional conflicts of interest must be eliminated. They also call for reforms in how city-funded water testing is conducted and when data is released to the public. After all, it is the citizens' taxes funding this testing, and the South African constitution guarantees the right to access such information.
Furthermore, the city's political leaders need to acknowledge that the current wastewater treatment infrastructure is inadequate for a metropolis exceeding five million people. Recognizing this failure would open the door to rethinking Cape Town's approach to wastewater management.
The researchers categorized the communication issues around contaminants into four types: nondisclosure of data; misinformation that provides a partial or misleading account of scientific findings; misuse of city-funded science to bolster political authority; and reliance on limited, infrequent data points to define the state of water bodies as static, ignoring their constant movement and change.
Their investigations uncovered multiple examples of miscommunication, leading to specific recommendations. They urge municipalities to address conflicts of interest where entities tasked with protecting water health also contract consultancies - often for profit - to conduct research, thereby calling into question the independence of scientific results.
Data transparency also demands urgent attention. Water quality results for beaches are often published a week or more after sampling, which is ineffective given the ever-changing nature of water currents. Best practices involve using water current models to provide real-time predictions of contaminated zones based on daily weather and ocean conditions. Additionally, presenting contamination data as 12-month rolling averages smooths out spikes, masking the true risk variations under different conditions.
Political accountability is essential. Politicians must be responsible for their public scientific statements, and independent bodies such as the Academy of Science of South Africa should be empowered to audit municipal scientific communications.
The researchers also caution against government officials dismissing independent scientific data, which stifles inquiry and silences critical voices. Protecting the integrity of scientific findings is paramount, especially as many cities tend to prioritize brand management and political image over transparent environmental communication. The risk is that city-funded science becomes marketing material, presented as indisputable truth rather than open inquiry.
Ultimately, Cape Town needs political leaders courageous enough to face two hard truths: current science communications are inadequate in serving the public interest, and relying on outdated wastewater systems that discharge untreated waste into rivers and oceans is no longer acceptable. Both issues demand urgent reform.
The research team has worked alongside communities severely affected by environmental contamination, documenting ecological, health, and economic harm, only to face denial from officials. They welcome recent positive steps toward data transparency, including the rescinding of a 2021 bylaw that banned independent scientific testing of water bodies, most of which are classified as nature reserves.
The researchers call for open dialogue aimed at building strong, credible public science communication. Their study is dedicated to the late Mpharu Hloyi, former head of Scientific Services at the City of Cape Town, whose dedication to urban water health was a significant loss to all.
Source - timeslive
