Sewage crisis in Cape Town raises serious health concerns

ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont addresses the media near the Green Point marine outfall, raising concerns about sewage discharges and water pollution along Cape Town’s coastline. Cape Town pumps an estimated 27 million litres of raw, untreated sewage into its coastline every day through marine outfalls in Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay. These are the allegations made by ActionSA, that Cape Town is discharging millions of litres of raw sewage into the ocean each day.

It has intensified scrutiny of the City’s broader water and sanitation woes including long-running health concerns around the polluted Milnerton Lagoon. Speaking near the Green Point marine outfall on Monday, ActionSA national chairperson Michael Beaumont warned that Cape Town was “on the brink of becoming the next eThekwini”, accusing the City of denial as sewage infrastructure buckles under population growth. “Cape Town pumps an estimated 27 million litres of raw, untreated sewage into its coastline every day through marine outfalls in Camps Bay, Green Point and Hout Bay,” Beaumont said. He claimed beaches were increasingly closed due to contamination, with reports of beachgoers falling ill.