A Poopy Beach Day

Who would have known that a regular day at the beach consists of swimming with the digested contents you consumed over the last few weeks?

The United Kingdom (UK)’s failed sewage system has led to continuous instances where torrential downpours heighten the inability of the sewage system to manage the excess water. When sewers are filled to capacity by heavy rain, sewage can spill onto streets if it is not released. Storm overflows are then intended to allow the excess to overflow into rivers and the sea, resulting in the Brits having been warned to refrain from swimming in beaches predominantly in the south recently.

The failed sewage system is exacerbated by the drought affecting a vast portion of the UK. As the soil is less able to absorb heavy rains, it results in higher-than-normal amounts of water entering drainage channels and potentially causing flash floods.

According to data gathered by the environmental advocacy group Surfers Against Sewage (SAS), storm sewage discharges have occurred in the waters off of beaches in Cornwall, Devon, Essex, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Northumberland, and Sussex.

A spokesperson stated that daily pollution risks tend to mainly focus on factors like heavy rainfall, wind or tide, which could impair the quality of water. Such risks on quality helps swimmers to make educated judgments about avoiding times or places when the risk of pollution is higher than usual, as well as when the health risks associated with swimming may exceed those suggested by the yearly categorization.

However, these risks are deemed more temporary.

A more concerning risk includes the thousands of sewage spills tracked by SAS every year at some of England and Wales’ most popular beaches. Water companies often pour their waste into the rivers and beaches, endangering both the environment and human health. There were over 3,500 sewage contamination episodes documented during the 2021 bathing season alone.

Just imagine taking a dip in one of the beaches in Sentosa in serenity, only to realize you have submerged your entire body in a water mixed with dump. I would cry for days.