SIX large metal barrels, containing unidentified chemical substances were found dumped in the sugar cane fields in Shongweni last Friday morning.
According to Dave Leslie, a police reservist at the Hillcrest SAPS, a resident in the area reported the illegal dumping to him. “I believe that the chemical waste was dumped there on Thursday evening and this problem of illegal dumping seems to be happening all the time,” said Leslie.
When Highway Mail visited the site where the barrels were dumped, the odour from the spilled chemicals clung to the air and an unknown substance, sticky and oily in nature, ran freely down the path towards the river.
“This is not acceptable and something has to be done. The rain is certainly not helping any. Who knows what will happen if any of these chemicals finds a way into the river as people drink that water,” said Leslie.
Three of the barrels bore the logo of Sun Chemical, manufacturer of organic pigments and dispersions. According to Krish Naidoo, the supply and site director at Sun Chemical, the environmental manager visited the illegal dumping site to take samples and collect the tracking numbers to find out which company the barrels were sold to.
“The chemicals in the barrels are not ours and we are currently analysing them as we do not know what they are. We plan to get the municipality involved as they need to take samples of their own,” said Naidoo.
According to Peter Davis, Ward 7 councillor, illegal dumping has become a large problem in the Durban area, especially in the outer west.
“What seems to happen is, companies feel it is too expensive to get rid of the waste legally so they dump it instead. It is totally anti-social, offensive and it affects the health of the people around it. The penalties for illegal dumping are far too low in my opinion,” said Davis.
