FF+ opens environmental case against CoM
BARBERTON - A case has been opened against the City of Mbombela’s water and sanitation department following the environmental impact caused allegedly by the town’s dysfunctional waste water treatment works (WWTW).
In October 2020, a Barberton farmer found hundreds of thousands of dead fish in one of his dams. The mass kill was ultimately said to have been caused by leakages into nearby river and dam systems from the Barberton plant.
Another fish kill earlier this year occurred in the area again.
Liam May of the FF+ opened the case at the Barberton Police Station on July 4.
Lowvelder had previously reported that the Kaap River Valley Major Irrigation Board’s senior water control officer, Maré le Roux, said he had been trying to get government officials to address these issues since 2016.
He had told Lowvelder that the private dam had extremely high levels of salt, which comes from the sewage polluting the dam, and that is what caused the death of the fish in the most recent mass death.
Regarding the police case, May said he decided to take action due to the frustration about the lack of satisfactory answers on the matter from the City of Mbombela.
“Several months ago, promises were made by the municipal manager and mayor to immediately look into the issue after we had made threats of legal action,” said May. “It is clear this was not enough, thus we are left with no other option but to take legal action.”
He said the issues surrounding the plant had been ongoing for about five years.
“On my last inspection at the Barberton Water Treatment Works, I found there was no improvement. In fact, it was the opposite - the plant is falling into further dilapidation!
“The damage to the surrounding environment is massive and to some extent irreversible. Experts have said it will take decades for the ecosystem to return to its natural state. There is also a massive aquifer below Barberton, and if the polluted water has reached it, the damage will be far greater than we yet know.”
May said currently the damage is isolated to the surrounding environment and private farms, but if left untreated, will eventually extend into the Suidkaap River.
He said the response from the municipality had not been satisfactory, “to say the least.”
The City of Mbombela’s Joseph Ngala said the municipality is not aware of any case against the city.
“We, however, will continue with our plans for the WWTW as planned and will only respond to the case as and when served. For now, the City will reserve its comment on the matter and can only confirm that our initial response is still applicable.”
The City had said in a response sent to Lowvelder on April 26 that the “situation is currently being assessed with the aim to refurbish all affected machinery and equipment needed to avert the situation and also to improve maintenance of equipment”.
Ngala said that the City’s accounting officer has approved an urgent assessment of the plant. “Engagements with the consultant who was involved in the last plant upgrade are ongoing,” said Ngala. He said the assessment will be carried out by a group of specialists, including mechanical, electrical and environmental scientists, to come up with a report with recommendations for refurbishment requirements.
The report will also mark the immediate improvements needed on the operation of the plant to improve the effluent quality produced at the plant prior to discharge into the nearby river source where the affected dam is.
‘I found there was no improvement. In fact, it was the opposite the plant is falling into further dilapidation!’