South Africa faces plastic pollution crisis, warns Water Research Commission
South Africa should urgently address the escalating plastic pollution or risk dealing with the devastating impact of the crisis on humans, ocean and aquatic life.
The stern warning was issued by the Water Research Commission (WRC) who said that the government, communities, individuals and businesses should wage a collective war against the impending catastrophe.
"It can no longer be business as usual. The concern is not about plastics themselves, but the pollutants and harmful microorganisms they carry," stated Dr Jennifer Molwantwa, the chief executive officer at the research institution.
The entity falls under the oversight of the department of water and sanitation.
The WRC recently launched two research projects aimed at strengthening socio-ecological resilience and tackling microplastic pollution in KwaZulu-Natal and the Eastern Cape.
"The two WRC funded projects focused on assessing the environmental challenges facing Durban Bay and understanding the impact of microplastic and associated pollutants entering river systems through the catchment of the Msunduzi and Swarkops rivers before ultimately reaching the ocean," she said.
The research brought to the fore the interconnections between rivers, estuaries and the marine ecosystem and reinforced the need for collaborative action to address pollution from source to sea, the commission noted.
"The health of our oceans begins long before the coastline. Through these research projects, we're generating the scientific evidence needed to better understand how activities in our catchment areas and rivers ultimately affects our ecosystems, community and economy," Molwantwa further asserted.
Illegal dumping, poor wastewater management, rapid rate of urbanisation and illegal dumping were cited as some of the key reasons for high levels of microplastic pollution.
Several studies by the University of KwaZulu-Natal reveal that the uMngeni river which empties itself at the Indian ocean near Durban's Blue Lagoon was the main source of microplastic pollution in KZN. The river accounts for approximately 380 tons of plastics entering the ocean annually. In the Eastern cape, the highest levels of microplastic are largely recorded in the Swartkops estuary in Gqeberha formerly Port Elizabeth.
