[ad_1]
- Residents continue to be affected by the smoky Panorama composting site in Roodepoort.
- This after a fire broke out at the site in September.
- Environmental and Infrastructure Services MMC Mpho Moerane said it could take a week or more before the smoke clears.
Residents of Weltevreden Park in Gauteng say they cannot breathe because of the smoking compost site Panorama that caught fire on September 29.
“We just can’t breathe when the wind starts to blow. We are approximately 800 meters from the site. It gets so bad that we experience heavy breathing conditions, sore throats and headaches,” resident Margaret Basson told News24 on Sunday.
“So we don’t know when Covid-19 symptoms are versus toxic waste symptoms. Frankly, Covid-19 can at least be monitored and resistance can be built, while breathing in toxic waste can have long-term side effects. effects, “he said.
The city of Johannesburg recently apologized to residents affected by the fire.
SEE | Joburg residents left with a smoky, toxic site after a fire broke out at the composting plant
In a statement on October 13, the Infrastructure and Environment Services MMC Mpho Moerane said that “it could take a week or more for the smoke to subside.”
When Basson contacted News24 on Sunday, he said the community still saw no signs of relief.
In summary, the community has the following questions for the city of Johannesburg:
1. How can anyone expect us to stay behind closed doors and windows in this heat, since we simply cannot afford to open our doors or windows?
2. Why aren’t fire crews guaranteeing 24/7 water spraying over the burning site to put it out?
3. How can there be such a large landfill in a suburban area?
4. Who will be responsible for the long-term illnesses that (cannot) arise from this?
5. Where is the proof of the environmental testing done to see the impact of this on all residents and store owner staff?
6. Residents want confirmation that the alleged exploding transformers were the legitimate cause of the fire weeks ago.
7. Would residents also like to establish how many other residents around the Panorama landfill (C / o HP and Jim Fouche) feel about the situation?
On Thursday, Infrastructure and Environmental Services told News24 that Emergency Medical Services (EMS) had been at the scene since last Friday to fight the fire and would remain there until it was extinguished.
“Digging the compost to get to the bottom of the fire first is progressing as planned and a new strategy of connecting the hose to two different fire hydrants to smother the compost has proven to be much more effective and has improved the fighting strategy. this fire.
“The reality of the matter is that work has been done seriously and continues to be done with Pikitup, having started up an excavator, two water tanks and a TLB [tractor loader backhoe] to spread, wet and extinguish fire.
“EMS has commissioned two long hoses from the nearby fire hydrant to spray water and wet compost faster with more energy,” said Deputy Director of Communications and Stakeholder Relations Stan Itshegetseng.
