Hundreds of fish die from lack of oxygen caused by pollution in Vaal
HUNDREDS of dead fish have been pulled out of the Vaal River and Loch Vaal over the past week with dead fish continuing to be seen floating on the water.
The fish deaths are due to a lack of oxygen in the water which is indicative of raw sewage entering the river, according to Maureen Stewart, spokeswoman for SAVE (Save the Vaal Environment).
“It’s the worst pollution we’ve seen since we obtained court orders against the Emfuleni Local Council in 2008,” she said.
SAVE has been actively pursuing this problem with the national Department of Water and Sanitation on a daily basis.
“There appear to be several sources of pollution. Rietspruit Waste Water Treatment Works had cables stolen on three occasions during December, which could be a contributing factor to the pollution in the Rietspruit and Loch Vaal. Cables have been replaced and, according to sources, the water works is back to normal.”
Stewart said pollution and fish deaths in the main river are ongoing and the Department of Water and Sanitation needs to establish the sources of this pollution.
In a separate incident, residents and workers in Powerville, Vereeniging, are suffering from an unbearable stench as a result of raw sewage flowing through the storm-water channel into the Vaal River. This has been ongoing since September last year.
In October 2015, the Department of Water and Sanitation appointed a contractor to resolve the problem.
“We are also concer ned about ongoing pollution problems in the Klip River where it enters the Vaal. E-Coli counts reached 92 000 counts a 100ml – far in excess of an acceptable standard of 400 counts a 100ml of water,” said Stewart.
SAVE is awaiting feedback from the Department of Water and Sanitation regarding its plans to resolve these issues.
The department did not respond yesterday.