Community
members in Bophelong Extension protesting against the gas incident that
occurred on 21 March 2017, caused by the Air Product Company
On
21 March 2017—Human Rights Day in South Africa—a gas incident occurred in
Bophelong that left community members suffocating and struggling to breathe.
The incident was not well monitored. According to a community member, at
mid-morning on 21 March he was travelling from his house to the Community
Centre when he smelled strong chemicals blowing from the industrial side of the
township towards the community. People asked what was smelling so bad and where
was it coming from. They closed their doors and windows to hide from the strong
smell of chemicals. People tried to call their councillors but they were all
attending the Human Rights Day celebrations in Sharpeville. This meant that
none of the inspectors from the Environmental Management section within the
Emfuleni Municipality attended to the incident on the day, because they and the
Air Quality Officer were not at work.
The
Bophelong Community blocks the road to the N1 on 22 March 2017
Despite not being able to exercise proper channels of
protest, the community of Bophelong protested against the gas incident,
believing that senior officials within the municipality would respond to their
requests for help. It took three hours of blocking the strategic road that
connects Vanderbijlpark with the N1 before the police arrived and tried to
disperse the protestors. Then a senior political member of the municipality
arrived to address the community. He promised to attend to the matter urgently
and said that a response would be forthcoming in two weeks’ time. It is now one
month later and there has been no response from the municipality. The Bophelong
community has approached the Vaal Environmental Justice Alliance (VEJA), asking
it to intervene on this Air Quality issue.
The VEJA
workshop for the community of Bophelong, on the issues of Air Quality, Waste
Management and Climate Change
A
VEJA workshop was held on 20 April 2017 at the Community Centre in Movhango
Extension, Bophelong. The workshop was well attended by most of the people who
had protested against the gas incident, many of whom were youth and women. VEJA
presented a history of Air Quality in the Vaal Triangle since the start of
democracy. The Vaal Triangle is a highly industrialised area with a coal fired
power station and many small industries, as well as providing a base for much
of South Africa’s steel and petrochemical industries. The Vaal Triangle Air
Priority Area (VTAPA) was declared the first priority area in South Africa, due
to the high levels of pollution in the area, especially Particulate Matter
(PM10 and PM2.5) and other pollutants. The Vaal Triangle Air Shed received
attention in the a Government Gazette in 2004, and in 2006 it was declared a
priority area. The VTAPA Air Quality
Management Plan (AQMP) was developed by our government but has not been fully
implemented. The main objective of the AQMP for the Vaal Triangle Air Priority
Area was to reduce air pollution. It is critical for big industries,
especially, to share information and reduce their emissions, according to the
vision of the AQMP. Nevertheless, Air Quality in the Vaal Triangle has not
improved, up to the present. The AQMP plan is meant to ensure that, once
implemented, the air quality in the area will effectively and efficiently be
brought to acceptable levels within the standards for emissions.
Illegal Dumping—domestic waste ends
up everywhere in townships
VEJA,
together with the community of Bophelong, discussed ways and means of improving
the situation regarding waste management. Simple living is all about slowing
down, enjoying life and foregoing consumerism; a perfect match for caring for
the environment. So we need to practice ‘RRR’:
•
1. REDUCE:
Buying what you need/choose products with minimal or bio- degradable packaging.
•
2. REUSE:
Repair; Refill; Compost to produce good fertilizers.
•
3. RECYCLE:
Sort waste at home or school so that only waste that cannot be recycled
ends up in landfill.
The
way forward: the community stated that it needs a committee and one
representative to communicate with VEJA. The meeting nominated an individual
who is expected to organise the next meeting. The next meeting will plan
possible activities that can be done jointly, and will negotiate a date for a
workshop to be attended by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) and
the Air Product Company—to give a presentation to the community about Air
Quality issues and how to participate in the VTAPA processes, including
reporting on incidents.
All
meetings must make use of an Attendance Register, which will be kept as a
record of interested community members, for invitations to future meetings and
workshops. VEJA will ensure that the gas incident is discussed at the
Implementation Task Team (ITT) meeting for Air Quality, and will communicate
with Environmental Management Inspectors (EMIs) from the Emfuleni Municipality.
VEJA mentioned that for the past two years Sedibeng have not appointed a new
Air Quality Officer. However, we now know that someone has been appointed, as
from 01 April 2017.
