Community to strengthen Save’s hands in dealing with Vaal pollution

Last week, the Save the Vaal organisation    hosted a public meeting in Parys to discuss its successes and challenges in dealing with  pollution of the Vaal River. The talks focussed on pollution issues that impact on the Vaal River in the Parys area, specifically. Save’s mandate extends from the Vaal Dam through to Parys.
The discussions addressed the concerns of citizens regarding pollution in the town. A Parys resident, Johan Smit, has represented the interests of Parys on the Save (Save the Vaal Environment) main committee for several    years.
The meeting highlighted the need for Parys to have its own committee and several members of the public volunteered to join the Save Parys committee, including the DA councillor, Saal de Jager.
They agreed upon a brief strategy that    includes further meetings with the Save main committee to review legal options for dealing with pollution, an awareness campaign and fund-raising.
Save has identified sewerage pollution as a priority because of the health and environmental risks as well as the impact on local economies. The organisation, launched in the early 80s, has made great strides in creating    awareness about pollution of the Vaal River and building communication channels with local authorities and the national Department of Water and Sanitation.
Where necessary, high court orders are obtained against local councils to stop them from polluting the Vaal River through their waste water systems. This includes a high court order against the Ngwathe Local Council.
In 2016, Save’s efforts resulted in the Department of Water and Sanitation undertaking emergency repairs to 26 local council waste- water works whose effluent is decanted into the Vaal River. The project included a major upgrade to the Denysville wastewater works. Further action is required to improve the quality of effluent from these waste water works. Save’s discussions with the department are ongoing.
‘We look forward to having a very active Save Parys committee to meet our goal of preventing pollution of the Vaal River in the Parys area,’ said Johan Smit. ‘We need the support of concerned Parys residents, especially those who have legal and engineering expertise. We also need the support of local businesses in our fundraising efforts to ensure that Parys continues to flourish as a tourism gem,’ he concluded.
About Save (Save  the Vaal Environment)
Save is a community based non-profit    environmental watchdog that aims to protect and maintain the environmental integrity of the Vaal River for future generations. Save’s mandate extends from the Vaal Dam and the Vaal River System to the Barrage and Parys.
Save aims to achieve its mission by raising public awareness about polluters in national, provincial and local government, mining and industry.
In cases where communication fails, Save takes action to obtain high court interdicts against polluters of the Vaal River and its environs. Successes include the prevention of Sasol’s proposed strip mining operation on the banks of the Vaal River and several court orders against the Emfuleni Local Council for polluting the river. Save also holds a court order against the Ngwathe Local Council to prevent        pollution of the Vaal River at Parys.
Save holds regular meetings with the Department of Water and Sanitation and other    stakeholders. The organisation’s efforts have     resulted in budgets being made available for repairs to the sewerage works and, in 2016,  expenditure of R400 million at a national level for emergency repairs to sewerage works     administered by local councils whose effluent is decanted into the Vaal River system.  Save intends to pursue these discussions with the Department of Water and Sanitation until the Vaal River is free from sewerage pollution. The Save committee relies on donations to maintain a war chest of funds to fight polluters in the high courts where necessary. With the excep- tion of a part-time secretary, all members of the committee are volunteers. Organisations and people wishing to support Save’s efforts should contact Save at 083 286 3500 or visit the  website www.save.org.za. Visit Save the Vaal on Facebook.