"UMBILO RIVER OIL SPILL DISASTER … HAVE WE LEARNT ANYTHING?

[Umbilo River Community United]

Repost from Coastwatch KZN

Non-Governmental Organization (NGO)

"UMBILO RIVER OIL SPILL DISASTER … HAVE WE LEARNT ANYTHING? The Umbilo River was already in a very bad way before this latest disastrous event. In fact, concerns over the health of the river have been voiced by environmentalists for over a decade with little action taken by authorities, and those responsible for the pollution left unchecked. ¹

Although Transnet Pipelines (TPL) says the spillage has been contained, Desmond D’Sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (S.D.C.E.A..) says it could take weeks to clean it up and is calling for the Green Scorpions to send a senior team to investigate the incident. ² According to D’Sa, residents complained of an oil smell last Thursday yet Transnet only commenced its clean-up on Tuesday.³ He also maintains the pipeline was supposed to have been closed after the completion of the new Multi-Product Pipeline. Though much delayed, this was finally opened in October 2017. ⁴

However, Saret Knoetze of Transnet says the spill was caused by an attempted theft, not a burst and that the resulting leak has been plugged, with full repairs to be undertaken shortly: “As a precautionary measure, no fishing will be permitted in the harbour area for the next seven days. Cleaning and rehabilitation of the stream between the source of the spillage and the harbour has commenced.” Knoetze also said that in the current financial year Transnet pipelines has had over 80 incidents of fuel theft and tampering with pipelines, and that the “costs of these incidents are significant and include the cost of product, repairs and environmental rehabilitation.” She has "appealed to residents or any persons living near the pipelines or driving past, especially at night, to report any suspicious activities, bakkies, fuel tankers in the area of the block valve chambers or near our pipeline markers." The toll free number is 0800 203 843. ³

Sandra Streak of the Umbilo River Community said: “I truly hope that a proper cleanup and rehabilitation is done. This incident is going to have terrible consequences to the health of the ecosystem of the Umbilo River and the Bayhead Natural Heritage site and will probably negatively affect the blue flag status of Durban’s beaches.” ³ She also said that as the community, they would demand a full investigation and for the law to take its course: “Someone needs to be held liable for what happened because this should have not happened. We will also be calling for a report to be issued in public about what happened in the river. It’s sad that nature had to suffer. We are hoping that the clean-ups will be thoroughly done across the river through to the beach.” ⁵

Nomusa Dube-Ncube KwaZulu-Natal MEC for Economic Development, Tourism and Environmental Affairs visited the site on Tuesday. In a media release she said: “We are working with all role-players to implement spill containment measures to prevent damage to the environment. Critically, we are calling upon communities to work with law enforcement agencies to ensure that those who are responsible for vandalising Transnet pipelines are brought to book. As it has been pointed out in various platforms, Transnet operates and maintains a network of 3 800km of high-pressure petroleum and gas pipelines from Durban to Gauteng across five provinces. We have a responsibility as the people of this province to ensure that we protect this valuable infrastructure which is critical for our economy.” ⁶

Bongani Mthembu, who is a specialist in air pollution for the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) says that even animals that are not directly in contact with the crude oil, the damage from the spill could be devastating: “For birds or animals – who have a finer sense of smell than us as humans – being exposed to this smell can have a very bad effect on their health.” Watch Bongani at the scene on 20 October (video by SDCEA) https://www.facebook.com/SDCEAngo/videos/649244802452864

If anyone finds any animal or bird in distress, please contact CROW on 031 462 1127. CROW also have a WhatsApp line, which is manned after hours by volunteers, that can also be used to report any animals that need to be rescued: 083 212 5281. ⁷

The last word goes to Delwyn Pillay of Greenpeace local group: Durban: “No matter how you spin it, fossil fuels inevitably carry the risk of putting the environment and surrounding communities in peril. As a resident of Durban, I see daily the wildlife that is dependent on the river system, and the communities that are connected along the river. Precious ecosystems like these, which canal into a natural heritage site made of the last remaining mangrove forests in Durban bay, are never safe while we are locked into dependence on fossil fuels.

We need assurance that the containment measures being implemented by Transnet are actually effective. Are Transnet and the eThekwini Municipality prepared to deal with the impacts of the spill downstream, or are they merely temporarily putting a band-aid on a much bigger problem? The municipality must move with urgency to avoid further harm to the environment and surrounding communities. Ultimately, to safeguard South Africans, the Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy, Gwede Mantashe, must urgently prioritise shifting South Africa away from fossil fuels in a Just Transition.” ⁸

 #NoMoreOil #JustTransition #CleanEnergy
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1. Environmentalists are raising concern over Durban’s polluted Umbilo River:
https://www.dailymaverick.co.za/article/2020-10-12-environmentalists-are-raising-concern-over-durbans-polluted-umbilo-river/
2. Thousands of litres of crude oil spills into Umbilo River: https://www.iol.co.za/news/south-africa/kwazulu-natal/look-thousands-of-litres-of-crude-oil-spills-into-umbilo-river-d870bb74-2d16-4b5d-8d0c-1f80e6257010
3. “Massive” oil spill in Umbilo River | GroundUp: https://www.groundup.org.za/article/massive-oil-spill-umbilo-river/
4. Durban/Joburg fuel pipeline opens after years of delays, spiralling costs: https://retailbriefafrica.co.za/durbanjoburg-fuel-pipeline-opens-after-years-of-delays-spiralling-costs/
5. Massive Umbilo River crude oil spill linked to theft: https://www.iol.co.za/mercury/news/massive-umbilo-river-crude-oil-spill-linked-to-theft-8bc20f02-974d-47c2-835d-da1917b96f8b
6. MEC Nomusa Dube-Ncube assigns environmentalists to work with Transnet theft incident: https://www.gov.za/speeches/urgent-media-statement-mec-economic-development-tourism-and-environmental-affairs-nomusa
7. CROW and Coastwatch explain how you can help after the uMbilo River oil spill: https://highwaymail.co.za/424116/watch-crow-and-coastwatch-explain-how-you-can-help-after-the-umbilo-river-oil-spill/  

8. Greenpeace Responds to uMbilo River oil spill: Learn from Mauritius: https://www.greenpeace.org/africa/en/blogs/12475/greenpeace-responds-to-umbilo-river-oil-spill-learn-from-mauritius//