RICHARDS Bay residents were last Sunday and Monday subjected to a noxious smell permeating the air from Alton to Meerensee, which hung around for about an hour each day before dissipating.
The matter was last Monday reported to the Richards Bay Clean Air Association (RBCAA) and was immediately investigated by the association’s Communications Officer, Sandy Camminga.
It was later determined that Mondi, a member of the association, had taken ownership of the smell.
‘We also had reports of a pungent odour in Birdswood on Tuesday morning, and recorded elevated levels of Total Reduced Sulphides (TRS) in eSikhaleni during the course of Monday night and into the early hours of Tuesday morning,’ said Camminga.
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Mondi launched an intensive investigation into the cause of the odour complaints and by late Wednesday afternoon had pin-pointed the source to a remote area of the plant.
‘Mondi apologises. Our process engineers had to conduct an extensive investigation to ultimately identify the odour source,’ said Mondi Group Head of Corporate Communications, Lora Rossler.
She said immediate action was taken and corrective measures implemented.
Residents are urged to continue reporting odours to RBCAA.
‘The RBCAA remains committed to improving the environment and we welcome and encourage the community to report odours and poor air quality,’ said Camminga.
Complaints can be reported to Camminga on 083 5152384 or via email to complaints@rbcaa.co.za or camminga@iafrica.com.
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