SAVE the Vaal Dam

PRESS RELEASE

SAVE the Vaal Dam...

At its last AGM, SAVE (Save the Vaal Environment), an NGO striving to protect the Vaal River and its environs against pollution, resolved to broaden its area of focus to include the Vaal Dam. “After many reports of sewage pollution of the Dam, we could no longer ignore the pleas for help and we will now focus on polluters of the Vaal Dam as well”, Lötter Wepener, chairman of SAVE said at a meeting of interested persons who use the Vaal Dam and environs for recreational purposes and live in that area. Reports of developers who act in contravention of the Vaal Dam Development Guide Plan and who cause sewage to flow into the Dam, defective sewage installations and non-functioning waste water treatment plants became so serious and pressing that urgent steps have become necessary in order to protect our valuable water resource. After all, the Vaal Dam is the source of all water supply to the Johannesburg, Vaal Triangle and adjacent areas.

Raw sewage in water is highly dangerous and can cause illnesses such as typhoid, cholera, dysentery, cryptosporidium cysts and giardia cysts. It also leads to the formation of cyano bacteria in the water which is an extremely toxic algae which can kill off both aquatic and bird life. Wepener said that SAVE will now be engaging the Midvaal Municipality in order to get it to avoid sewage spillages into the Vaal Dam from waste water treatment works. “The Dam is used by thousands of people for recreational and other purposes. Communities also use the Dam as their primary source of water supply and they and all recreational users of the Dam are exposed to serious water borne diseases. The sewage contaminated water leads to skin, ear, throat and nose infections in humans and possible intestinal disorders.

Reports of dead fish in the dam are also rampant. Raw sewage removes the oxygen from the water which in turn leads to the fish kills. Dead and rotting fish are in itself a health hazard to humans.

“The local authority will have to take responsibility and ensure proper maintenance of its sewage reticulations and that properly trained persons are employed for this purpose. Any party that continues to allow raw sewage to flow into the Vaal Dam will be brought to book”, Wepener said. He added that “This conduct is totally irresponsible and showed a disregard for human life that is endangered by the sewage in the Dam. SAVE took steps to force Emfuleni Municipality to get is maintenance act together and to stop pumping sewage into the Vaal River and will do so with polluters of the Dam. There is only one answer. The municipality and developers must take the maintenance of its sewer reticulations seriously and stop spilling sewage into the Vaal Dam”.

SAVE is collating evidence of the criminal conduct of polluters and is preparing to challenge their conduct in court in the near future.

Donations to SAVE can be made into its account at FNB Vanderbijl Park (25094500) account number 512-900-844-03 – fax payment record to 086 672 9361).

Issued by Lötter Wepener, chairman of SAVE (Fundraising number 011015200004) 20 June 2009