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A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa
The City of Cape Town's (CoCT) wastewater management system discharges effluent from households, industries and other sources into the Atlantic Ocean through deep-water marine outfalls in Green Point, Camps Bay and Hout Bay. At total capacity, these three outfalls discharge 55.3 megalitres (Ml) into...
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| Format: | Thesis |
| Language: | English |
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School of African and GenderStuds, Anth and Ling
2022
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| _version_ | 1867613321905045504 |
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| access_status_str | Open Access |
| author | Beukes, Amy |
| author2 | Green, Lesley |
| author_browse | Beukes, Amy Green, Lesley |
| author_facet | Green, Lesley Beukes, Amy |
| author_sort | Beukes, Amy |
| collection | Thesis |
| description | The City of Cape Town's (CoCT) wastewater management system discharges effluent from households, industries and other sources into the Atlantic Ocean through deep-water marine outfalls in Green Point, Camps Bay and Hout Bay. At total capacity, these three outfalls discharge 55.3 megalitres (Ml) into marine receiving environments daily. With minimal pre-treatment that amounts to screening and sieving, this results in microbial and chemical pollution of the sea (including chemicals of emerging concern), marine organisms, recreational beaches, and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This research focuses on contestations over evidence of that pollution in Hout Bay. The study documents the work of independent scientists seeking to provide evidence of coastal pollution obtained via microbial and chemical analyses of water (coastal and inland) and marine organisms (Mytilus galloprovincialis) samples. It also presents accounts of pollution obtained via ethnographic research with local residents, fishers, frequent water users and river activists who have observed and experienced poor coastal water quality. However, the form of evidence that is considered and informs decision-making processes by the CoCT has consistently sought to invalidate these forms of evidence, from both independent scientists and the public. Debates around knowledge of water and contests over evidence that highlight the entanglements of science, politics, and ways of knowing make visible a consistent pattern in coastal water-quality governance by the City, which results in inaction regarding the ever-growing issue of coastal pollution in Cape Town. |
| format | Thesis |
| id | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36558 |
| institution | University of Cape Town (South Africa) |
| language | eng |
| last_indexed | 2026-06-10T12:34:17.944Z |
| license_str | Not specified — see source repository |
| provenance_str_mv | Harvested via OAI-PMH from UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| publishDate | 2022 |
| publishDateRange | 2022 |
| publishDateSort | 2022 |
| publisher | School of African and GenderStuds, Anth and Ling |
| publisherStr | School of African and GenderStuds, Anth and Ling |
| record_format | dspace |
| source_str | UCTD — University of Cape Town Open Access Repository |
| spelling | oai:open.uct.ac.za:11427/36558 A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa Beukes, Amy Green, Lesley Petrik, Leslie Coastal management wastewater treatment marine outfall pollution pharmaceuticals personal care products perfluorinated compounds household cleaners marine organisms persistent organic pollutants chemicals of emerging concern multispecies ethnography chemical ethnography participant observation forms of evidence ways of knowing The City of Cape Town's (CoCT) wastewater management system discharges effluent from households, industries and other sources into the Atlantic Ocean through deep-water marine outfalls in Green Point, Camps Bay and Hout Bay. At total capacity, these three outfalls discharge 55.3 megalitres (Ml) into marine receiving environments daily. With minimal pre-treatment that amounts to screening and sieving, this results in microbial and chemical pollution of the sea (including chemicals of emerging concern), marine organisms, recreational beaches, and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). This research focuses on contestations over evidence of that pollution in Hout Bay. The study documents the work of independent scientists seeking to provide evidence of coastal pollution obtained via microbial and chemical analyses of water (coastal and inland) and marine organisms (Mytilus galloprovincialis) samples. It also presents accounts of pollution obtained via ethnographic research with local residents, fishers, frequent water users and river activists who have observed and experienced poor coastal water quality. However, the form of evidence that is considered and informs decision-making processes by the CoCT has consistently sought to invalidate these forms of evidence, from both independent scientists and the public. Debates around knowledge of water and contests over evidence that highlight the entanglements of science, politics, and ways of knowing make visible a consistent pattern in coastal water-quality governance by the City, which results in inaction regarding the ever-growing issue of coastal pollution in Cape Town. 2022-06-29T08:37:34Z 2022-06-29T08:37:34Z 2022 2022-06-23T07:24:05Z Master Thesis Masters MPhil http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36558 eng application/pdf School of African and GenderStuds, Anth and Ling Faculty of Humanities |
| spellingShingle | Coastal management wastewater treatment marine outfall pollution pharmaceuticals personal care products perfluorinated compounds household cleaners marine organisms persistent organic pollutants chemicals of emerging concern multispecies ethnography chemical ethnography participant observation forms of evidence ways of knowing Beukes, Amy A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa |
| thesis_degree_str | Master's |
| title | A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_full | A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_fullStr | A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_full_unstemmed | A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_short | A sea of contested evidence: Disputes over coastal pollution in Hout Bay, Cape Town, South Africa |
| title_sort | sea of contested evidence disputes over coastal pollution in hout bay cape town south africa |
| topic | Coastal management wastewater treatment marine outfall pollution pharmaceuticals personal care products perfluorinated compounds household cleaners marine organisms persistent organic pollutants chemicals of emerging concern multispecies ethnography chemical ethnography participant observation forms of evidence ways of knowing |
| url | http://hdl.handle.net/11427/36558 |
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