Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 14 April 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# The Department of Water and Sanitation says it is continuing with controlled water releases out of the Vaal and the Bloemhof Dam to reduce rising water levels. Water outflows have decreased to 104.96-percent at the Bloemhof Dam. The department’s spokesperson, Wisane Mavasa, says the five sluice gates at the Vaal Dam remain open:

# The eThekwini Municipality has announced which beaches to avoid in Durban this Easter due to poor water quality. Beaches with high levels of E. coli include Laguna, Winklespruit, and Doonside. These closures are part of the ongoing pollution crisis affecting the municipality. Water quality tests are conducted weekly. Current results show that eight beaches have excellent water quality and are open from 6am till 6:30pm. They are Pipeline, Umgababa, Umhlanga Main, Brighton, Ansteys, Bronze Beach, Umdloti Main, and Westbrook Beach.

# And finally: With effect from 2028, ships will face a global one-thousand-800-rand per-ton carbon tax unless they use cleaner fuel or contribute to the net-zero fund. The deal, signed by over 60 countries through the International Maritime Organisation, aims to reduce ship emissions, which make up three-percent of global greenhouse gases. A stricter fuel rule and an emissions control zone in the North-East Atlantic were also approved. The US opposed the plan, warning it could raise costs and threatened penalties in response.

Stay tuned for more news………….