The eThekwini Municipality in KwaZulu-Natal is appealing to restaurants especially those in Durban to ensure that their seafood is from reliable sources that have not been harvested from the area contaminated by the pollution.
Several beaches on the north of uMngeni River remain closed as a precautionary measure due to the spill that occurred when a chemical warehouse in Cornubia was torched during last month’s looting and violence.
The municipality also says that all activities around the river and sea in the area are suspended until authorities deem it safe.
Municipal spokesperson Musa Mayisela says specialised clean-up crews remain on site.
“We are appealing to the restaurants that are around the area to ensure that their seafood is not from around the area. We have decided to close the beaches not to frustrate the beaches but the safety of these beaches is a priority. Samples of water have been taken and once the results are back, we will communicate our next cause of action.” says Mayisela.
Clean-up operations
In the video below a chemical factory is up in flames in the Durban Industrial area
Despite efforts by United Phosphorus Limited to clean up the toxic chemical spillage after the torching of the warehouse, those who live nearby say they fear falling severely ill from the strong, pungent fumes that remain in the area.
Some residents who were part of an oversight visit by Parliament’s Portfolio Committee on Environment, Forestry, and Fisheries complain of respiratory illnesses.
“I started getting sick literally the day after the chemical started burning. I developed asthma overnight. I am a cancer survivor. I’ve been in remission for five years. I have suffered immensely. I’ve been on two courses of antibiotics 16 prednisone a day. I’ve been told I’ve got chemically-induced pneumonia and damage to my lung foam. I’ve had x-rays done and I’m on 16 prednisone a day as you can hear I am still wheezing,” says resident Lyadall Valentine.
In a July 31st statement from UPL, the company notes that many of the water-based products in the warehouse were atomised during the blaze, creating a dense plume of smoke and fumes that caused distress to many people in the neighbouring areas.
It further states that because a significant volume of water was used to extinguish the fire, and due to the delayed response of the spill response cleaning services amid the ongoing unrest, the product that was not vapourised and the water from the fire operations overwhelmed the containment system and escaped into the environment.
Francine Hattingh is from an informal air quality group, Durban North Air Quality says they are not satisfied with the slow progress. She has also appealed to the company to be more transparent.
“ We need to be transparent when there has been flagrant disregard of legislation and we know that there weren’t major hazard installations. We know that they didn’t have their environmental permits, which is absolutely in the public domain. Yet the first public hearing that I went to after this, in that hearing the minister stood up and said we are going to going work together with UPL, they do fantastic things for the farmers.
