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(Archive, Wikus De Wet, AFP)
- Thursday, the The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries will visit a Sasol plant in Secunda that is suspected of being behind a sulfuric odor engulfing parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga.
- Sasol said its operations at Secunda have been stable and there were no operational incidents that could have resulted in an increase in sulfur emissions.
- Although elevated, the sulfur levels in the air are still compliant.
The Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries will visit the Sasol plant in Secunda on Thursday, which is suspected of being behind a sulfuric odor that has engulfed parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga since the weekend.
“While there are many sources in the area that could be contributing to these elevated levels, the [Gert Sibande] The district municipality air quality officer was informed that the Sasol Secunda operation is experiencing stressful conditions as the facility began to scale up operations, “said department spokesman Albi Modise.
“The stench is probably a combination of elevated levels of sulfur dioxide and hydrogen sulfide.”
Residents of both provinces took to social media complaining about the unbearable smell.
Modise said that monitoring of ambient air quality in SA’s Air Quality Information System showed that although sulfur dioxide levels were high, they still met environmental standards.
“The pollutant causes an unpleasant odor even at concentrations well below those that cause health risks. People who are sensitive to unpleasant odors are likely to experience headaches and nausea.”
?? ALERT: BAD AIR QUALITY LEVEL FOR SENSITIVE GROUPS in GAUTENG WEDNESDAY, ¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡¡HIGH RISK GROUPS: • Children • Elderly • Asthmatics • Those with lung disease • Those with heart disease ?? Air quality levels considered ‘OK’ for healthy adults
– Gauteng Weather (@tWeatherSA) February 17, 2021
“As part of the investigations, the authorities are requesting the operations facility to be held accountable in accordance with Section 30 of the National Law on Ambient Air Quality Management and to establish mitigation measures, if determined which are the source of the smell, “he added.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Sasol said: “Sasol can confirm that recently our Secunda operations in Mpumalanga have been stable with no operational incidents that have / could have resulted in an increase in sulfur emissions.
“High Resolution Analyzers [on point sources], which monitor our emissions, report levels below the limits prescribed by our air emissions licenses under which we operate.
“Since we operate with due care and taking into account the impact we may have on surrounding communities and the environment, we have established structures to engage with the community and encourage the public to use these forums to discuss all environmental issues, including air quality. “
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