Several Durban beaches were closed to the public last week following an announcement by eThekwini Municipality that medical waste had washed up on shored.

Investigations were conducted by officials from eThekwini Municipality, National and Provincial Departments of Environmental Affairs and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to determine the possible source of and the extent of the waste.

Preliminary reports have revealed that only a fraction of the waste found is pharmaceutical in nature. The majority of the debris found consists of general waste and driftwood.

“It is highly likely that all this waste originated from various sources along the catchment that washed into the sea from the Umngeni River following the recent heavy rains in Durban,” eThekwini Municipality said in a statement.

A high-tech drone was used during the investigation to uncover the source of and extent of the waste. The drone was flown over Umngeni River to inspect the amount of waste found on the coastline.

The precautionary beach closure of uMngeni/Mangrove, Beachwood, Virginia and Glenashley beaches has now been lifted. However, members of the public are encouraged to exercise caution when using beaches as there is still a lot of debris washing ashore.

Clean-up operations are on-going and the municipality and other stakeholders are working extended hours to ensure that the waste is collected and disposed of speedily and efficiently. Any medical waste collected will be disposed of separately by a registered waste management company.