By Nangamso Mabindla
15 July 2005

THE West Indian Ocean Land Based Activities (WIO-LAB) project was launched in East London on Friday, July 15 by the national Department of Environmental Affairs and Tourism.

The project, an African initiative, has been set up to strengthen the fight against marine pollution caused by land-based activities. It also aims to determine the extent and magnitude of pollution of coastal waters. This will enable systems to be developed that will counter the damage.

Before launching the Eastern Cape WIO-LAB project, Rejoice Mabudafhasi, the deputy minister of environmental affairs, visited two of the city's 18 treatment works. Buffalo City Executive Mayor Sindisile Maclean and provincial Economic Affairs, Environment and Tourism MEC Andre de Wett accompanied her.

Shirley Fergus, the City's manager for environment and sustainable development, said there was a need to stop sewage spilling into the sea. "The spillage of sewage into the sea is caused by the overloading of sewage treatment works. We end up using the ocean to disperse some of the treatment work."

However, sewage was not the only pollutant along the city's 73km coastline. Other challenges the City needed to deal with were the discharge of domestic and industrial waste into the ocean and illegal dumping and debris on the beaches.

Fergus said that for the City to deal with the problems it needed assistance from all stakeholders, including the national government.

"WIO-LAB will afford us an opportunity to identify Buffalo City's problems and be in a better position to receive funding from our partners. We will also work very closely with the national government."

De Wett said it was important for the deputy minister to inspect the treatment works to understand where the City's challenges lay. "This is a continental initiative. It is simple really - we should stop dumping into the sea."

The deputy minister said Buffalo City was not the only city that had to find alternative ways of getting rid of its sewage and waste.

"Most of our coastal cities have a similar problem. Through WIO-LAB we want to see if we cannot come up with alternatives," Mabudafhasi said. "I am sure if we work in unison we will find a solution to this problem."

She said her department's doors would be open to municipalities that needed help implementing WIO-LAB.

"We will assist local government and its partners overcome this challenge. It can be done if we work together for the benefit of our children and future generations."