Fish kill – Vaal River

Hundreds of dead fish have been pulled out of the Vaal River and Loch Vaal over the past week.  Dead fish continue to be seen floating on the water.

The fish deaths are due to lack of oxygen in the water which is indicative of raw sewage entering the river.

“It is the worst pollution we have seen since we obtained Court Orders against the Emfuleni Local Council in 2008”, said Maureen Stewart, spokesperson for SAVE.

SAVE has been actively pursuing this problem with the national Department of Water and Sanitation and has been in daily contact with the Department at a high level.

There appear to be several sources of the pollution.  The Rietspruit Waste Water Works had cables stolen on three occasions during December which could be a contributing factor to the pollution in the Rietspruit and Loch Vaal. Cables have been replaced and according to sources, this water works is back to normal.

Pollution and fish deaths in the main river are ongoing and the Department of Water and Sanitation needs to establish the sources of this pollution.

In a separate incidence, residents and workers in Powerville, Vereeniging are also suffering from unbearable stenches as a result of raw sewage flowing through the storm water channel into the Vaal River.  This has been ongoing since September last year.  In October 2015, the Department of Water and Sanitation appointed a contractor to resolve this problem. SAVE is also following up this problem with the Department.

“We are also concerned about ongoing pollution problems in the Klip River where it enters the Vaal.  E-Coli counts reached 92 000 counts per 100 ml – far in excess of an acceptable standard of 400 counts per s100 ml of water”, said Stewart.

SAVE is awaiting feedback from the Department of Water and Sanitation regarding the sources of this pollution and what action the Department will take to resolve these issues.