Campaign lauched to highlight filth in PMB
Pietermaritzburg engineer David Still, a representative of the Msunduzi River Crisis Committee, has started a campaign to highlight the ubiquity of filth in the city and the high levels of E.coli in local rivers.
It's destined for the SA Human Rights Commission, which was addressed about the issue in October last year.
The petition, “Stop sewage spills, collect solid waste clean up Pietermaritzburg”, followed after no response was received from the Department of Water and Sanitation (DWS) after writing to them about the issue of pollution in the city.
Still said these measures stem from concern about the impact poor waste management has on residents’ health and the city’s economy.
The petition, in addition to the state of the uMsunduzi River, brings attention to the growing amount of rubbish in the streets and other public areas.
Regarding the river, the petition states that “the median level of E. coli bacteria in our rivers and streams has increased ten-fold since 2010”.
“This conclusion is based on the comprehensive weekly monitoring of the uMsunduzi River and its tributaries which has been carried out by uMngeni-uThukela Water since 1990,” the petition read.
The second issue the petition raises is the increasing amount of rubbish in the city.
“We are embarrassed at the state of our city and its surrounds, which has become increasingly squalid,” the petition read.
“Several parts of our town do not have a functioning waste management service, and informal dumpsites abound.”
Maritzburg Sun
He told that the petition has the objective of illustrating the breadth of community support for resolving the problem of pollution in the uMsunduzi River.
Such support, Still said, would drive action to be initiated.
He said the uMsunduzi River Crisis Committee believes that “virtually everyone who lives in Pietermaritzburg and neighbouring communities is aware that sewage and solid waste is not being managed well at all” and, consequently, will be motivated to sign the petition.
Such petitions, Still said, have a proven record of working. It can be found on Change. org.