Ms Rejoice Mabudafhasi, MP, the Deputy Minister of Water and Environmental Affairs, will lead World Oceans Day Celebrations in East London, on 8 June 2012.
The 8th June is observed internationally as World Oceans Day. While the day has been unofficially celebrated since the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, in December 2008, the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution to officially recognise World Oceans Day on June 8 each year.
The observance of World Oceans Day in South Africa allows us to highlight the impact of oceans on our country and the various ways in which oceans contribute to our country. Celebrating the day provides the department with an opportunity to highlight the considerable challenges we face in dealing with marine pollution, maintaining the oceans’ capacity to regulate the global climate, supply essential ecosystem services and provide sustainable livelihoods and safe recreation.
The 2012 theme is: “Knowing our Oceans, Safeguarding their benefits.” The theme emphasises the fundamental importance of understanding the oceans and the way in which they impact on society. Our oceans provide numerous benefits that can only be secured and safeguarded through knowledge. The benefits derived from the oceans include: climate regulation, waste absorption, sustenance (sea food), economic development (tourism, seafood distribution), transportation (shipping), medicine (Biomedical products from marine plants and animals) and recreation (swimming).
As part of the 2012 World Oceans Day celebrations, Deputy Minister Mabudafhasi will also launch the new Recreational Coastal Water Quality Guidelines as a further tool to assist Government in safeguarding the benefits we derive from the ocean, in particular benefits in terms of public recreation.
Oceans are among our biggest resources for life on the earth but are also our biggest dumping grounds. Many materials that are dumped into our oceans affect the quality of ocean and coastal waters. According to the United Nations Environment Programme, marine pollution caused by sewage, litter, oil spills and dumped materials, is considered to be one of the five greatest threats to the ocean environment. South Africa has a coastline of over 3000 km with hundreds (if not thousands) of beaches designated for the public’s enjoyment and recreation.
In addition, South Africa is the only African country that is an active participant in the International Blue Flag Campaign, with 28 beaches accredited with a Blue Flag status. The water quality at South Africa’s beaches must be carefully monitored on an on-going basis to ensure that the public’s health is not compromised. The monitoring and management of coastal water quality directly contributes to the health of our ocean, and ultimately our communities.
East London, like several other coastal cities in South Africa, has a number of magnificent sandy beaches that are frequently used for tourism and recreational purposes such as swimming, surfing, diving and angling. However, East London is experiencing challenges in its management of municipal wastewater, which significantly threatens seawater quality at its public beaches. The Hood Point sewage outfall located along the West Bank for instance, has for some time been discharging untreated sewage directly into the surf zone.
Studies have found high levels of sewage pollution along several important beaches. The commemoration of World Oceans Day in East London will contribute significantly toward awareness-raising of the human health risks associated with poor coastal water quality, and therefore the need for on-going monitoring and observation.
Media is invited to the World Oceans Day celebrations.
Date: Friday, 8 June 2012
Time: 10h30 - 13h00
Venue: Orient Beach, East London, Eastern Cape
RSVP:
Buhle Hlatshwayo
Tel: 021 405 9439
E-mail: bhlatshwayo@environment.gov.za
For media queries, contact:
Peter Mbelengwa
Cell: 082 611 8197
Zolile Nqayi
Cell: 082 898 6483
