Chani (pronounced Sh- ar -nee) from Surfers Against Sewage shares details of this upcoming protest that Isle of Wight residents can get involved with. In her own words. Ed
Clean seas should be a right not a privilege. With the Isle of Wight featuring in 12 out of 83 worst beaches in the UK for sewage discharge in 2022 it is time we put action in to fix the issue.
Sewage in our seas affects all of us on the Island, at least indirectly. Who wants to look out on our stunning coastline and think, mmm I wonder how much sewage has gone in today? No! It should be, ‘wow that’s amazing let’s take our friends and family to the beach and enjoy the sea’. It is a vital space for so many residents and groups who bathe or recreationally use the waters and beaches all year round.
It is vital to our economy and in our fight against climate change with seagrass holding 35 per cent more carbon than a tropical rain forest (Source: Wild Isles BBC).
27,349 hours of combined storm overflows and sewage discharge
The Isle of Wight had 27,349 hours of combined storm overflows and sewage discharge from April 2022 to the end of March 2023 (Source: Southern Water website spills and flows data).
The longest single duration discharges were for Sandown, Ryde and Cowes, each with a single spills going for over 320 hours at each site.
A love for the sea since an early age
Since I was a small child, I cared about the sea and asked for adoptions of dolphins, I then kayaked for sea cadets in West country rivers and did many community litter picks.
This natural world interest led me to get to a degree in Marine Geography.
Gastroenteritis
Since moving to the Island nearly a decade ago my love for the sea has grown and all the wonders it has to offer, but so has my concerns.
I am raising two children and my eldest child last summer got gastroenteritis after swimming off Ryde at low tide.
There had been a storm overflow spill that happened after we had entered the beach, even after checking on arrival the Safer Seas and Rivers Service. There is also Beachbuoy Service run by Southern Water.
Becoming an SAS rep for the Island
This tipped me to go from member of Surfers Against Sewage (SAS) to becoming representative for them. I do not want my children and others childhoods diminished because they did not have the access to our blue spaces to enjoy them safely.
I want to use my time in collaborative activism to help try to #endsewagepollution. I want to work with Southern Water and any other interested parties to take any action we can as quickly as we can to have our seas clean again.
Take part in Pathfinder meetings
I have a seat at a quarterly strategic meeting for Pathfinder project and use this to ask challenging questions to local issues and give transparency. Nationally SAS have similar positions to ask for compliance of OFWAT (the regulatory body for water) and hold water companies to account. SAS also lobby government for action on ending sewage pollution.
SAS call for on their Dirty Money Campaign Dirty Money Petition – Surfers Against Sewage (sas.org.uk) “Enough is enough. We can’t stand by and watch another summer of sewage, but it will take all of us speaking out to stop it.”
Where and when
As such I am running a Paddle Protest on 20th May at Midday At Appley Tower, Ryde.
Please come along, bring placards or other fun props, surf boards, paddle boards, rafts or just be on the beach and perhaps tip your toes in the water.
Anyone is welcome and Ryde is a fantastically accessible beach. Let’s show Southern Water we are the community that care and are ready to take action together.
You can also show your intended attendance via the FB event page.
