Disintegrating boxes of medical waste left out in the rain and rotting waste from abattoirs dumped in ditches in the veld were among the environmental hazards discovered by the ”Green Scorpions” during a nation-wide blitz this week.
Inspectors from the environmental police force have carried out a series of enforcement inspections on locations as far apart as the Cape Peninsula and Mpumalanga in what the Department of Environmental Affairs on Friday hailed as ”a victory for environmental protection”.
Among the offenders collared in the crackdown — which took place on Thursday — were six ”grossly non-compliant” abattoirs in the Olifantshoek, Kathu and Kuruman areas of the Northern Cape.
At five of them, inspectors found ”liquid abattoir waste” being kept in septic tanks that were overflowing into the veld.
”Off-cuts were found dumped in trenches, where the waste is either burnt using tyres, or left to rot. At some of the sites, full trenches were simply covered up and another trench dug for waste disposal,” the department said in a statement.
At one abattoir the manager had tried to chase away the inspectors.
”The Northern Cape department of environment and tourism is considering appropriate enforcement action against the abattoirs. The maximum penalty for the illegal disposal of waste is 10 years’ imprisonment or a fine of R200 000, or both,” the department said.
Inspectors visiting the Aid Safe hazardous waste site on the East Rand discovered ”boxes of medical waste disintegrating after standing outside in the rain overnight”.
The facility’s waste incinerator was not working, the manager was absent and the stored waste had piled up.
”These conditions are in gross non-compliance of the strict requirements set by the Gauteng department of agriculture, conservation and environment.”
The maximum penalty for such non-compliance was 10 years’ imprisonment or a R5 million fine, or both, the department said.
The Green Scorpions also swooped on the Foskor chemical plant in Richard’s Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, in the wake of ”numerous incidents” at the state-owned plant, where there have been serious breaches of environmental legislation over the past five years.
”Officials were met with a cooperative attitude by Foskor management. Findings of the inspection … will only be available after completion of the inspection on Friday … and a comprehensive assessment of the plant’s status of compliance with all environmental legislation and permits.”
In Mpumalanga, inspectors confronted the developer of an illegal resort on the banks of the Gladdespruit River, near Nelspruit.
”The developer had dumped large amounts of building rubble on the river bank, and several trees had been chopped down. The developer had not applied for an environmental impact assessment authorisation.”
Charges were laid with the local police. If found guilty, the developer faces a maximum penalty of 10 years’ imprisonment or a R5-million fine, or both.
In the Western Cape, marine and coastal management inspectors carried out inspections at boat-launch slipways on the Cape Peninsula.
”During these operations one person was arrested for the illegal possession of abalone.”
The department said about 890 inspectors had been assigned, or were awaiting assignment, to posts around the country.
”[This] will provide South Africa with the largest environmental police force in the history of [the country’s] conservation and environmental protection efforts,” it said. — Sapa