The management of Pikitup has thanked private companies for helping to speed up the process of dousing the smouldering heaps of compost at Panorama Compost Site in Allen’s Nek.
The firefighting personnel on site were joined by Renico Construction, which bolstered the efforts by providing more resources and personnel on 23 October.
The specialists in property development dispatched water tankers and men while another company provided Marine 3, an environmentally friendly product which helped suppress the fire, smoke and dust.
Thanks to a huge team effort to put out the fire, Pikitup announced at the end of the day that the battle continued until the site was smoke-free.
“We had projected that we would complete the task on 24 October, but with the community keeping us on our toes, and help from the private sector, we managed to douse the fire a day before,” said Muzi Mkhwanazi, Pikitup spokesperson.
“We thank the contribution of the private sector in terms of their resources and manpower in the fight against this fire. We are extremely grateful. This goes to show what can be achieved when we work together. This approach can apply to waste management activities as Pikitup promotes the participation of private companies and residents to deal with waste management effectively,” he said.
To prevent any other disaster at the plant, MMC for Environment and Infrastructure Services (EIS), Councillor Mpho Moerane, during his visit, committed to asking the Johannesburg Metro Police Department (JMPD) to monitor the site and enforce the by-laws.
