Our Viewpoint | Albert Falls sewage crisis

The sewage crisis engulfing Albert Falls Dam should have been an opportunity for KwaZulu-Natal’s Department of Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs to take the lead. Instead, its response has largely been to point elsewhere. In written replies to questions about the deteriorating state of one of KZN’s largest strategic reservoirs, the department repeatedly referred responsibility to the Department of Water and Sanitation, uMngeni-uThukela Water, the uMgungundlovu District Municipality and the Pongola-uMzimkhulu Catchment Management Agency.

Those bodies may have specific responsibilities, but the department’s name itself shows why that response is not good enough. Economic Development. Environmental Affairs.

Every one of those portfolios is directly affected by what is unfolding at Albert Falls. The environmental damage is clear. uMngeni-uThukela Water’s May assessment documented raw sewage flowing from broken sewer systems, overflowing pump stations and failing wastewater infrastructure into streams and rivers feeding the dam.

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It warned that water quality had “steadily worsened”, with sewage and other pollution contributing to repeated algal blooms. The impact on tourism extends far beyond cancelled fishing competitions. Angling is a major recreational sport, and Albert Falls has long been one of the country’s best-known bass fishing destinations.

The dam also lies within an important Midlands tourism node that depends on visitors filling accommodation establishments, restaurants and shops. When anglers and major events stay away, the effect ripples through the local economy. Then there is the strategic importance of the dam itself.

Albert Falls is a major holding reservoir in the greater eThekwini water supply system. Pollution entering the dam, and moving further downstream through the catchment, places additional pressure on a water system serving South Africa’s third-largest metropolitan economy. The situation should be even more concerning as the world prepares for a developing El Niño, which the World Meteorological Organisation says is likely to be particularly severe this season. While its exact impact on South Africa’s rainfall cannot yet be predicted with certainty, the possibility of hotter and drier conditions should sharpen the country’s focus on protecting its water resources.

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