Durban - THE eThekwini Municipality’s decision to build a landfill site in the already polluted Shongweni area has been described by angry residents as unfair and irrational.
The move comes after the city approved, at its full council meeting last week, a recommendation to build a landfill site in the area.
In a report tabled before council, the municipality revealed that it paid R27.6million as compensation for 5504.662 hectares of land expropriated from Tongaat Hulett.
The Mercury understands that the municipality opted to expropriate the land after it had failed to find common ground with Tongaat Hulett on a price for it.
A notice of expropriation dated May 22 was served on Tongaat Hulett and the municipality took possession and ownership of the land on June 30.
In response to the city’s plans, residents, businesses and environmental organisations said the Shongweni area was already struggling with pollution from the EnviroServ Shongweni landfill site.
The waste management company has previously been the target of litigation by community members who complained about its pollution. EnviroServ has not yet resumed its complete operations due to conditions of a notice served on it by the Department of Environmental Affairs.
The residents have now challenged the municipality’s decision, saying it should have opted for a less populated area for its new facility.
The building of the new facility is expected to start as early as next year.
A resident, who asked not to be named, described the city’s plans as irrational and problematic.
“We are already dealing with the issues that come with the Enviroserv dump,” she said.
“For the municipality to come and put another landfill site here is really unfair to residents.”
She said that as residents, they feared that the move could see property prices plummet.
“The landfill site will be a problem from an aesthetic point of view, and there was a development that was supposed to be coming up here, and I am not sure how that is going to work with a dump next to it.”
A business person close to the area said that while she was not directly affected, she was concerned for the community.
“When they first applied for the dump years ago they said it would not be a health hazard, but after the EnviroServ fiasco, that has changed. This is unfair on the public.
“I do not understand why they do not take the dump away from people. There are areas like Cato Ridge where there is a lot of (industrial) space that is close to the highway and does not have 3000 people living there,” she said.
Bongani Mthembu, the air quality and geographical information systems officer for the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, said it was shocking that the municipality was planning to put a landfill site in Shongweni despite the problems experienced with EnviroServ.
He said that even well-managed landfill sites were a problem.
“It will leak and pollute ground water. The fumes will result in breathing problems, and we know that children are much weaker and therefore their health could be compromised.
“In that area there is a river, and big mushroom and sugar cane farms. How would you drink that water or eat that sugar cane or those mushrooms?” he asked.
DA councillor Marlaine Nair said residents in Shongweni and surrounding areas had for a long time been complaining about the pollution emitting from the Enviroserv landfill site.
“The addition of a second landfill site just a few kilometres away would be disastrous for those battling with health issues as a result of pollution.
“It is alarming that no recent environmental impact assessment (EIA) was included in the report that was tabled at the city’s executive committee and full council.
“According to the report, the most recent EIA was conducted in 2006 on two sites, one in Shongweni and the other in Cato Ridge,” she said.
She said it was unlikely that community members in the area would accept the landfill site.
The Mercury has seen another report on the matter dated last month.
It said it was important to secure land for the Cleansing and Solid Waste (DSW) Unit for the landfill site, in line with the city’s development agenda.
It also said that after DSW undertook a process of identification of land, it had identified the Shongweni and Cato Ridge areas.
It said DSW’s plans had stalled for some time because of delays in the application for the EIA and those caused by changes in the legislation.
“The unfortunate delays have resulted in the current Mariannhill landfill site approaching premature closure as well as placing a strain on the city’s Buffelsdraai and Lovu landfill sites,” said the report.