The Democratic Alliance (DA) in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN) has called for a high-level, independent probe into the cause of massive environmental damage to the Umhlanga River and its surrounds following the destruction of the UPL chemical storage facility based at Cornubia.
As our province continues to reel from the recent widespread looting and violence, the North Durban community continues to bear the brunt of the catastrophic UPL environmental sabotage.
Deliberately planned and executed with no regard for the citizens of this province, the UPL arson incident has shattered ecosystems and endangered the health of thousands of people.
This incident has exposed the inability of government, its provincial environmental authorities and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife to safeguard the health of our province and its ecosystems.
The DA’s own in-depth investigations into the saga have revealed the urgent need for a full-scale investigation. In this regard, a comprehensive set of parliamentary questions have been submitted to Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs (EDTEA) MEC, Ravi Pillay, to find out exactly what is brewing in Cornubia.
The probing questions are aimed at exposing what was in the facility, how toxic water and fish will be disposed of and what impact the spill may have on the sugar cane crops lining the river.
It is untenable that two weeks after the arson, communities are still none the wiser about what kind of toxins were released into the Umhlanga River and atmosphere – causing widespread illness and environmental degradation.
The DA believes only a high-level investigation can establish, amongst others:
· The cause of the ongoing smoke being emitted from the still smouldering UPL facility
· The contents that were stored in the facility and the reasons why authorities have not yet come clean on this information
· Where the more than 180 000 litres of contaminated water on-site will be disposed of
· The real health risks to the North Durban community in light of ongoing complaints of rashes, vomiting, red eyes and coughing and
· Whether the correct town planning procedures were applied in allowing a potentially Major Hazard Installation to operate so close to residential areas.
There is no doubt UPL was the target of a highly organised arson syndicate – determined to disrupt and pollute our beautiful province. Yet this does not absolve our environmental authorities from their constitutional mandate in informing and protecting our citizens.
Our ecosystems must be protected. Join the DA today and stand up against this travesty by signing our online petition https://bit.ly/UMhlangaPetition. KZN’s authorities must be compelled to disclose the true impact of this tragedy.
