The City of Cape Town has announced the partial closures of two coastal areas, as advised by City Health, until further notice.
“As a precautionary measure, visitors are advised that a section of Strand Beach on the False Bay coastline, as well as Small Bay in Blaauwberg are temporarily closed to the public until further notice,” the City said.
It said the temporary closures were due to sewage spills in the respective areas – the causes of which are under investigation.
City Health would be taking water samples for quality testing until the levels were within the minimum requirement for recreational activities as determined by the National Water Quality Guidelines, it said.
“In the meantime, the public is advised to avoid contact with the water in the affected areas until further notice. This is a precaution as contact with the water could result in potential gastrointestinal issues and any person who enters the water does so at their own risk. Health warning signage has been erected, advising the public of the situation,” the City said.
On Friday, Bakoven Beach was reopened to the public. It had been closed after a failure at the pump station, caused by load shedding.
The decision to close the beach came after the City’s environmental health service received the results of tests on water samples taken on Wednesday.
The City also said that Milnerton Lagoon, Milnerton Estuary mouth and Lagoon Beach remain closed for swimming after Diep River discharges at the estuary mouth at Lagoon Beach affected the water quality.
IOL