KARINO – Although the smoke has lessened since Lowvelder last reported on the foul and hazy air, the smell of burning plastic is still clearly noticeable and smoke still pollutes the area.
“This has become a major bone of contention among local residents since last September,” says a concerned citizen in the area who wishes to stay anonymous.
Owners of guest houses say they are being adversely affected as the stench is unbearable and makes a very bad impression upon their guests. The smoke is visible from a great distance, and can also be detected around most parts of Mbombela.
The municipality said on Monday (yesterday) that it was aware of the prevailing situation at the landfill site and was attending to the problem. “The municipality has since submitted the licence application for a second cell (cell two) and it is currently under review by the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs,” says Mr Joseph Ngala, spokesman for Mbombela Local Municipality.
“It is expected that the department will issue the license shortly. Kimopax (Pty) Ltd are the environmental specialist appointed by department of environmental affairs to assist council in this regard. We have taken interim measures by creating trenches to handle incoming waste,” Ngala adds.
He says burning of waste is prohibited and is not any of their methods to dispose of waste. “There are more and more scavengers destroying the perimeter fence and entering the site illegally after operating hours to recover recyclables. Some of them burn tyres and others rubber materials in order to source recoverables for selling as scrap,” he says.
The following are measures to address the problem:
• Currently the site operator is applying a mixture of soil cover material and water to suppress the fire. Soil cover material is the main source to extinguish the fire while water is used to extinguish sporadic fires before they become a problem. If you apply water on top of the fires, it might result in smouldering underneath, hence the use of a mix of the two methods.
• Additional soil cover material will be sought on site to cover incoming waste.
• Additional security will be sought to address overcrowding and squatting around the site to discourage illegal entry and unauthorised use.
• Cell two will be constructed once the license is issued by the Department of Agriculture, Rural Development, Land and Environmental Affairs – the process to acquire this license is at an advance stage.
Read Lowvelder’s first report here:
