Crisis looming at ‘toxic’ landfill site

AN ENVIRONMENTAL crisis is looming at the Shongweni landfill site because Enviroserv, the company at the centre of the “toxic” battle in the Upper Highway area, was unable to dispose of its contaminated liquids.

This followed ethekwini Municipality’s decision not to grant Enviroserv permission to discharge at Southern Waste Water Treatment Works near Merewent.

Enviroserv approached the Gauteng high court on Thursday to review and set aside ethekwini’s decision not to approve its application for use of the treatment works.

For the past 15 years and until September, Enviroserv occasionally used the works to dispose of treated contaminated storm water and leachate through the plant’s 4km-long pipeline that pumps effluent water 60m below sea level at Cuttings Beach. Leachate is the by-product after rain percolates through decomposing waste on a landfill site. Contaminated storm water is run-off water which has come into contact with waste on the landfill and needs to be isolated from clean run-off.

In her affidavit, Enviroserv’s technical director, Esmé Gombault, said they had approached the court because the build-up of affluent liquid on the site “is about to result in an environmental disaster” because it is impossible to tanker it to Gauteng quickly enough to alleviate the crisis.

Gombault said the Department of Environmental Affairs and ethekwini last year agreed on an 11-point plan to eliminate odour problems, a bone of contention between the company and residents who allege “toxic fumes” make them ill.

Enviroserv was granted permission to deliver 27 000m³ of leachate and contaminated storm water to the treatment works.

In September, ethekwini served Enviroserv with the notice prohibiting disposal.

Enviroserv has since implemented various measures to address the toxicity levels of the liquids leaving the site. She believes “ethekwini was placing unnecessary hurdles in Enviroserv’s path”.

ethekwini did not comment.