EThekwini Municipality this week warned residents to avoid contact with water in the Palmiet River after effluent was discharged into it.

This happened following a blockage in the drainage line of Blair Road Sewage Pump Station in Pinetown on Tuesday afternoon.

According to the municipality, immediate action was taken to resolve the situation with focused efforts to repair the pump station. The station was flooded late on Tuesday afternoon, but was operational by later that night with a back-up pump immediately switched on.

This resulted in no further surcharging of effluent from the station.

Two back-up pumps are operational with the flooded pumps being serviced and expected to be operational soon.

In the interim, the public has been urged to avoid contact with Palmiet River below Blair Road as well as in the Umgeni River below the confluence with the Palmiet River for approximately two kilometres.

The natural processes of the river, including the flow of the river, will dilute the sewerage in the next few days.