Assessment and enhancement of beach water quality management strategies in eThekwini Municipality.

Abstract

Beaches are key tourist attractions in Durban and KwaZulu-Natal, offering diverse recreational activities along approximately 2,800 km of coastline. Managed by eThekwini Municipality, these beaches are vital for swimming, surfing, fishing, and other water sports. Effective management of beach water quality, influenced by inland activities and river discharges, is essential for both tourism and environmental health. This study aimed to assess and enhance beach water quality management strategies in eThekwini Municipality. It assessed current practices, evaluated their effectiveness, identified primary pollution sources, and proposed improvements. Using purposive sampling, insights were gathered from decision-makers in water quality management across seven key municipal sectors from the eThekwini Municipality and three non-profit organisations: Adopt-A-River, Green Corridor, and Duzi Umgeni Conservation Trust. Primary data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews via Microsoft Teams, which were recorded, transcribed, and analysed with NVivo software to identify critical themes in water quality management strategies. Findings revealed that the eThekwini Municipality lacks a formal beach water management strategy despite conducting periodic water quality monitoring of beaches and rivers. The study further reveals that the current monitoring system is ineffective in ensuring compliance with both international and local water quality standards for safe recreational use. This is evident from the frequent failure to meet the required levels of ≤ 200 cfu/100 ml for Enterococci and ≤ 500 cfu/100 ml for Escherichia coli (E. coli), particularly during 2022, leading to numerous intermittent beach closures, a problem that continues to persist. The study identified sewer infrastructure as the primary source of pollution, exacerbated by the April 2022 floods, although issues existed prior to this event. The study recommends developing an integrated beach water quality management strategy, improving the current water quality monitoring plan, increasing the sanitation budget, implementing education and awareness campaigns, aligning organisational functions, investing in ICT and innovations, as well as fostering partnerships with private stakeholders to enhance waste management practices.