An unannounced early visit to the Boksburg Lake to assess the state of the facility led to the discovery of what appears to be a layer of oil that had made its way into the water, creating ecological disaster.
Ward 32 Clr Marius de Vos and newly elected Ward 32 committee member Mathapelo Kodisang, who is handling the environmental portfolio, visited the lake on Tuesday morning and said they were shocked to discover a thick black layer of what resembles oil in the northeast part of the lake.
Judging from what could be seen on site, it seems gallons of black oily liquid entered one of the tributaries or creeks and then flowed into the lake, contaminating the water.
Although at this time it’s difficult to tell what the potential origin or source of the mysterious black oil could be, de Vos suspects that the oil has worked its way downstream into the lake from one or more of the industries upstream of the lake.
The councillor said the Boksburg Lake has proved detrimental to the ecosystem, including plants, fish and ducks survival, despite the millions of rand spent mitigating the negative impacts and improving the public amenity.
“It’s extremely concerning as it’s not the first time pollutants made their way downstream into the lake water. A series of spills that go unnoticed by municipal officials had entered the lake.
“How many times does this have to happen before the metro takes environmental protection seriously, and use all available means to monitor and identify potential environmental damages and then deal with the culprits?” said de Vos.
When this publication visited the lake on Tuesday morning, the water was covered in blackish oily liquid and the whole area was filled with a strong petroleum odour.
The Advertiser is still awaiting comment from the municipality.
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