HEIDELBERG – On August 10, Barry Greyling, a resident in Begeman Street, spotted carcasses of dead animals floating in the spruit located next to the Taxi Rank in Ueckermann Street and reported it to HERAUT.

“It is not the first time I spotted this,” Greyling said and added that it is not certain who is responsible for dumping the carcasses.

What looked like heads of sheep and cows were floating in the spruit among other waste materials that were also illegally dumped.

“This is unhygienic and can harm the environment. The culprits responsible must be identified and dealt with accordingly,” Greyling said. HERAUT reported the matter to Katleho Seaga, Lesedi Local Municipality spokesperson.

“Our Department of Infrastructure is in the process of a long-to-medium term plan with the Department of Water and Sanitation to have a dedicated team, which comprises all relevant stakeholders to address pollution-related issues,” Seaga said.

He further advised that a team has been deployed to clean the affected part of the river.

“We will also engage the informal traders around that area not to dump in the river. We will further engage the taxi industry to identify an area to place a skip bin to be utilised,” Seaga added.

According to the Waste Management Act of South Africa, as published on its website, litter and illegal dumping have environmental, social and economic effects. The Constitution of South Africa guarantees everyone the right of access to an environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being and to have the natural environment protected for the benefit of current and future generations.

Illegal dumping contaminates soil and water and has a dangerous environmental impact.

Besides the cost to municipalities to clean up illegal dumping areas and litter, tourism can also be affected as an area becomes unsightly and smelly.

Few tourists would visit the area.