Durban - The eThekwini Municipality says it is aware and also concerned about the overflow from the leachate ponds at the Buffelsdraai landfill site in Inanda.
It said the overflow occurred following the floods in April and May this year.
A leachate pond is formed when rain water filters through waste placed in a landfill site.
Last week the DA in KwaZulu-Natal said in-depth oversight visits by the provincial Conservation and Environmental Affairs portfolio committee revealed many shortfalls at most of the province’s landfill sites.
The DA says a Focused Intervention Study has found glaring inconsistencies between national regulations and what goes on at the sites.
DA KZN spokesperson on conservation and environmental affairs, Heinz de Boer, said the committee’s insistence on inspecting eThekwini’s Buffelsdraai landfill leachate ponds revealed that toxic water was being funnelled directly into a local river.
In response, eThekwini Municipality’s spokesperson, Msawakhe Mayisela, said: “We were also very concerned about it and contractors were secured and the leachate overflow was contained with works in progress.”
Mayisela added that the facility was visited by the competent authority and progress was noted.
“The recent rainfall has unfortunately saturated the site and set back the progress made with the pond beginning to trickle at its spillway. This has since been contained via bunding and additional de-watering is being secured to supplement the works. Alternative measures in desilting the pond following the rainfall are being actioned.”
THE MERCURY