RESIDENTS of South Durban were once again at the receiving end of toxic fumes on Wednesday, August 25.
Caused by a fire that broke out in a factory on Balfour Road, Jacobs, in the early hours of the morning, the incident added insult to injury to already suffocated communities. While the blaze was swiftly contained, its aftermath lingered longer.
Hime Street resident and environmentalist, Dr Desmond D’Sa, who stays about a few kilometres away from the factory said the effects of the fire were still smouldering the next day.
“The smell continues to linger in the air. A number of residents experienced breathing problems including young children. The symptoms might arise as the air pathway is opened as a consequence of the toxic pollution which might lead to increasing Covid-19 cases and respiratory illnesses,” he said.
The municipality’s spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela, said the city is aware of the incident at KZN Resins Factory.
He said the city’s Fire and Emergency Services had remained on-site to extinguish the fire on smoldering debris and that there is toxic smoke being emitted from the factory.
“Areas affected include Wentworth and Merebank, but due to a change in wind directions, areas such as Clairwood, Montclair, Bluff and Mobeni may also be affected.”
“As a precautionary measure, residents are advised to close their windows and doors and to put wet cloths over ventilators until the smoke clears. Residents are further advised to refrain from outdoor activities in impacted areas. Officials will be on site until the situation is resolved. The public will be informed in the event of new developments,” he said.
South Durban Environmental Community Environmental Alliance’s Air Quality and GIS officer, Bongani Mthembu, said KZN Resins deals with a lot of unsaturated polyester resin and a host of other flammable products which caused a big blaze and made it harder to extinguish.
“The biggest problem we had is that the thick black plume from the fire went straight to Wentworth and Merebank communities.”
“These are communities that have the majority of their residents suffering from respiratory illnesses such as asthma and cancer, due to co-existing with petrochemical industries, such as Engen, Sapref, and Mondi for decades.”
“These residents are already subjected to ill-health, there are a number of vulnerable elderly and children in addition to the Covid-19 issue as well. The fire added a huge burden to already suffering communities and the smell is highly toxic,” he said.
Mthembu further highlighted that these were not well-off communities with residents who could afford to jump into their cars and evacuate the area for a few days to get fresh air. He said compounded by the pandemic and recent unrest, most residents were unemployed.
“A lot of people are home-based and exposed to these elements, it is so sad because the local government has not had any sort of major disaster response. They have not gone into these areas to at least loud hail the residents to evacuate.”
“The other biggest frustration is that there is no emergency evacuation plan for eThekwini. Yet South Durban has two of the most explosive refineries – Engen and Sapref and a host of other chemical industries in the areas of Jacobs, Clairwood, Prospecton, and Isipingo.”
“These are the frustrating issues that make one feel anger, realising that our government and the municipality are not serious about people’s lives. Section 24A in the Constitution guarantees everyone the right to a clean environment that is not harmful to their health and well-being.”
“But unfortunately, that is just one progressive section of our Constitution that is not bearing any fruit and it is a problem. The people in Wentworth and Merebank are confused because the plume and toxins are invading their homes, but there is nothing that informs them of what they should do and the dangers of what these fumes carry,” he added.
Emer-G-Med spokesperson, Kyle van Reenen, said no injuries were reported and the cause of the fire is unknown.
The company declined to comment saying it would not give out a statement to the media as they have ongoing investigations.
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