Eco Minute 13:30

BULLETIN 13 November 1:30 pm

Good afternoon, here is your Eco Minute:

# Water and Sanitation deputy minister, Sello Seitlholo, says the state of municipalities’ Wastewater Treatment Works has contributed hugely to the widespread pollution of water courses in Gauteng. Following the assessment of all municipal wastewater systems and subsequent publications of the Green Drop Report in December 2023, the state of wastewater treatment systems and the presence of sewage in the streets, rivers and dams have not markedly improved. Seitlholo says dams are being threatened by pollution from wastewater systems, overloaded systems, pump station failures and sewer leaks.

# The DA in the Free State has condemned the continued dumping of raw sewerage into the Vals River by the Moqhaka Municipality. The party’s Chris Dalton says this environmental catastrophe has persisted since before 2021 when then deputy president David Mabuza’s intervention failed. He says a botched sewerage plant upgrade, costing 16-million-rand and 93-million-ran for stages one and two respectively, remains non-functional:

# And finally: Residents of India’s capital New Delhi choked in a blanketing toxic smog today as worsening air pollution surged past 50 times the World Health Organisation’s recommended daily maximum. Many in the city cannot afford air filters, nor do they have homes they can effectively seal from the misery of foul smelling air blamed for thousands of premature deaths. Lower temperatures and slow-moving winds trap deadly pollutants each winter, stretching from mid-October until at least January.

Stay tuned for more news………….