WATCH: Visibility reduced, air quality compromised as Empangeni landfill continues to burn

ENGULFED in flames on Friday evening and smouldering since then, the King Cetshwayo regional landfill site in Empangeni is again sending out plumes of smoke, reducing visibility on the nearby R34 near the N2 intersection.

Residents as far as eNseleni and Arboretum can smell the noxious fumes spewing from the dump site, which the district municipality said started burning underground.

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The Zululand Observer has been inundated with calls and messages since the weekend, with residents describing their experiences.

“Visibility was very poor on the road and noxious emissions were coming through the windows. It was a terrible experience,” said one motorist earlier in the week.

An Arboretum Extension resident said the unmistakable smell of burning plastic is hanging in the air even as far as Richards Bay.

Motorists are urged to take caution when driving in the vicinity of the landfill site, by switching on headlights and reducing speed, as well as closing windows to avoid breathing in the contaminated air.

Read the full story in this week’s ZO Weekender.

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