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Date: Wed, 18 Oct 2006 08:15:03 +0200
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Subject: The Witness - Disgust at dirty Duzi
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Craig Hampson's message is:
Hi, I am sending you this Article courtesy of The Witness. Having just spent last Saturday on the Dusi below Pietermaritzburg, with the guys from Tourette Fishing (same place as in the article in the latest Complete Fly Fisherman), I was horrified to see this article in the latest Witness.
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Disgust at dirty Duzi
Wed, 18 Oct 2006
Rubbish floats on the Duzi River, stuck against the Grimthorpe Road low-level bridge. There is a growing sense among residents that councillors and the municipality are not interested in the ongoing pollution problems. PHOTO: IAN CARBUTT Residents say council deaf to complaints about river and air pollution
Lincoln Meade residents were horrified to find a huge heap of floating garbage in the Duzi River at the Grimthorpe Road low level bridge yesterday morning, writes Nalini Naidoo †Bonnie Parker.
Resident Linda Knox said: It certainly does'nt encourage people to come to the City of Choice
She said she tried to notify the municipality, but could! Not get through to them.
There is a growing sense among resi dents that councillors and the municipality are not interested in the ongoing pollution problems that plague the city. Community members who rallied to a call by environmental lobby group groundWork to work on an anti-pollution strategy for Pietermaritzburg are challenging councillors to join them. They have extended an invitation to the city fathers and mothers to a public workshop this Saturday aimed at understanding the ongoing problem of air pollution and what can be done about it.
However, the problem could lie deeper, as a report by the manager of Parks, Sports and Recreation, Steven Naick, points out that there is only one staff member in the conservation and environment branch of his department. Naick has written a report drawing the attention of the community services and social equity committee to critical staff shortages in his department that are affecting service delivery.
He points out that monitoring work simply cannot be done and this calls in! to question the municipalitys ability to sustainably manage the citys natural resources. He said that the matter was brought to the attention of council in a report to the Executive Committee in November 2005, that the section needed at least two environmental specialists and an administration officer. To date none of the key posts identified have been approved, advertised or filled.
Naicka^Åú?s report is due to be discussed at a community services and social equity committee meeting next Tuesday, October 24.
Meanwhile, local residents who have to deal with the pollution are appealing to the municipality to understand how the situation is affecting them.
Val-lea Vista Nursery owner Peter Law said that heavy rains often bring garbage down the river. He said because he is trying to encourage customers to visit his nursery, he has in the past removed a lot of garbage himself. He has pulled everything from tyres to beds out of the river. its disgusting. It looks like a moving garbage heap, he said.
Sandile Ndawonde of the Greater Edendale Environmental Network (Green) said over the years, residents in Pietermaritzburg have made numerous complaints to the city, yet the political will to invest in combating the pollution problem does not exist. Ndawonde said the community does not want to work against councillors, but with them, to protect the health and safety of the people in the city.
He added that both the national and provincial departments of environment have shown an interest in working on the problem. Ndawonde quoted the example of FFS Refineries in the city who were summonsed to an urgent meeting with officials from the national Department of Environment and Tourism to discuss the companys compliance with environmental requirements. The refinery was accused of being responsible for the noxious odours that permeate the Pietermaritzburg air and has denied these accusations. In the latest development on this issue the company has agreed to pr! ovide documentation relating to its environmental compliance.
There is a sense among environmental lobby groups that the officials could do a lot more if they had the support of their politicians. Ndawonde said this is why they are appealing to councillors to attend the workshop on Saturday. He also extended the invitation to all residents in the city concerned about air quality and other pollution issues. At the end of this workshop you will have learned about the legislation that deals with air quality problems, about mobilising community resources and [about] strategies of taking action together.
The workshop will be held at the Tembaletu Community Education Centre, 204 Burger Street, on Saturday, October 21, starting at 1 pm for 1.30 pm.
In earlier reports, The Witness has noted that air pollution levels in Pietermaritzburg rival those of the most heavily industrialised areas of the country, especially during the winter .
The citys toxic river problem was highlighted in an article that appeared three months ago, entitled Who is killing the Duzi. The Witness carried pictures of dead, bloated fish in exactly the same section of the river, near Grimthorpe Road, where the huge pile of floating garbage was seen yesterday.
Published: 18 October 2006
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