Environmental group’s toxic tour sensitises residents on air quality
The organisation's air quality officer, Bongani Mthembu, who guided the tour, highlighted the importance of the regulation of air quality and its effects.
IN efforts to educate residents of air pollutants in their area, the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) hosted a community toxic tour recently.
Aimed at raising awareness and empowering South Durban communities about air pollution from surrounding industries, the tour visited hot spot areas in Merebank, Bluff and Wentworth to get people sensitised.
The organisation’s air quality officer, Bongani Mthembu, who guided the tour, highlighted the importance of the regulation of air quality and its effects.
He told the story of the biggest gas leak incident, the Bhopal disaster, of December 1984 at the Union Carbide in India where a gas spill over night killed thousands and left many more in compromised health states.
“Communities in Wentworth, Merebank, Bluff, Isipingo, Clairwood, Amanzimtoti and KwaMakhutha face the possibility that the same thing might happen because of the surrounding industries. It is sad because we have no emergency evacuation plan for the communities residing in South Durban. We have been asking the municipality for years to produce a plan that will inform the residents of eThekwini precisely those on the south of Durban, telling them that a plan is needed and compulsary,” he said. telling them that a plan is needed and compulsory,” he said.
He said the level of benzine found in the atmosphere is cause for concern, evident by air samples they take on a regular basis, where a five minute grab sample could find about 17 parts per million in contrast to the standard 5 micrograms per cubic metres annually.
“Unfortunately, the city is not willing to solve the problem to ensure that they prosecute these industries. We are now doing the city’s job to drive around and take samples, something city health officials should be doing.”
“We know that there are 14 fixed air quality monitoring stations, including a mobile station in the province, but you’d be lucky to get at least five operating.”
“Each station was about R1,5 million to have set up – half of this money was paid by the tax payer and the rested was through international funding. The shortfall of these stations is that they capture a maximum of up to six different pollutants, whereas our simple bucket tool can take up to 30 different chemical pollutants compared to sophisticated machines.”
He said another pressing concern was the fact that the Clairwood race course, previously a designated safe haven, was now sold off to a private company and will no longer be a place of refuge should there be a state of emergency.
“There are older, disabled and mentally handicapped people in the community, how will they get to the race course because there is no on-standby transport for such cases.”
“For example, a person staying with two sickly elderly people would be overwhelmed because they would not be able to handle them both. Unfortunately, the issue is now even worse because the place is now privately owned.”
A comment from eThekwini Municipality was not available at the time of publication.
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