Oil pollution riddle
The spill, whether accidental or deliberate, took place during the heavy rains of the week of 13 November and was not reported to authorities
WHO spilled hundreds – perhaps thousands – of litres of hydraulic oil into an Alton storm water system?
The spill, whether accidental or deliberate, took place during the heavy rains of the week of 13 November and was not reported to authorities.
Propelled by 110mm of rain that fell over two days, the oil, reportedly half a metre thick in places, covered the surface of the stream that flows behind Ceramic Curve and down Guldengracht towards the CBD.
Fortunately, the collapsed road opposite the ZCBF entrance acted as a berm and prevented the oil reaching more sensitive parts of the wetland, including where people live in the bushes and drink from the stream.
Ironically, although it was the complainant in the matter, the uMhlathuze Municipality was charged by the criminal investigation unit of the Green Scorpions – since the city is the property owner and has the burden of ensuring environmental compliance to environmental by-laws.
City Communications Manager, Mdu Ncalane hopes that by bringing the incident into the public arena, someone might come forward to expose the culprit.
The oil came from a storm water discharge point that has a large catchment area, with at least 12 possible contributing companies feeding into it.
However, it might also have been pumped into the system via a ‘honeysucker’ vacuum truck.
Apart from the damage to the environment and an estimated R1-million bill to clean up the spill, the ongoing investigation will delay plans to rebuild the collapsed road over the stream, leading from opposite the ZCBF gates to the suburb of Wildenweide.
A budget of R40-million has reportedly been approved to repair the road.
HAVE YOUR SAY
Like our Facebook page and follow us on Twitter.
For news straight to your phone invite us:
WhatsApp – 072 069 4169
Instagram – zululand_observer
