Fuchs acts swiftly to clean oil spill due to fire in Isando
'Fuchs has been amazing and have gone over and above keeping all stakeholders involved and addressing issues instantly'
An oils spill into an Edenvale waterway following a fire at an Isando company in December, should be completely cleaned up by mid-January.
A fire erupted in a limited area at the Fuchs Lubricants South Africa (FLSA) production plant on December 13, causing oil to leak into the water system in Edenvale.
The leak resulted in a direct threat to wild birds in the wildlife territory and the river that passes through Horwoods Farm.
Managing director of FLSA Paul Deppe said the fire, which was swiftly extinguished by the automatically deployed fire system and fire brigade form Ekurhuleni, was detected in the early hours of the morning by security personnel.
Disaster Management and Emergency Services (DEMS) spokesperson William Ntladi told Express large volumes of oil in containers caught fire.
“The amount of oil which leaked into the river is unknown but services managed to extinguish the fire and addressed damages to the water system,” Ntladi said.
Ntladi was unable to say what the cause of the fire was.
Deppe said Fuchs immediately appointed a specialist spill response provider to clean up the spillage.
“The spillage was successfully contained and remediation efforts are underway. Fuchs has also appointed external pollution assessment consultants, aquatic specialists and environmental consultants to advise during the clean-up and to monitor the entire process.”
The South African Wildlife Rehabilitation Centre (SAWRC) assisted with cleaning affected birds.
When asked whether a spillage like this could be cleared, and if its effects on wildlife could be reversed, Deppe responded positively. “The reinstatement process is well on its way and the team will complete the majority of the work by mid-January.
“Oil spills are easier to clean, as it floats on water. The site will be monitored well into February in case more oil is detected, or released from rocks, reeds and storm water pipes.”
He said oil can be removed through mechanical means like skimming, pumping, sucking and absorbing the oil that floats on top of the water. “Any environmental or ecological damage relating to the oil spill is being attended to.”
Judy Davidson-Grose of the SAWRC said 36 birds had been recovered and rehabilitated, and one hadeda died.
“We held a meeting on Wednesday last week and found that fish and frogs were doing well as they simply moved to unaffected areas when the spill occurred.
“Fuchs has been amazing and have gone over and above keeping all stakeholders involved and addressing issues instantly. We cannot attribute any fault to Fuchs.”
The cleaning operation at Horwoods Farm is ongoing.
