The fish‐kill of 2008 and clean‐up operations in the Vaal River Barrage November 2008‐April...

Thefish‐killof2008andclean‐upoperationsintheVaalRiverBarrageNovember2008‐April2009

Figure1BirdlifeDhlomoDam,Sharpeville

ReportforJTIndustrialWaste

by

Prof.JohannWNTempelhoff

ResearchNichefortheCulturalDynamicsofWater

SchoolofBasicSciences

North‐WestUniversity

Fifthedition

22April2009

Author’s note: In an effort to promote transparency and accuracy or reporting, earlier

editions of this report were submitted for comments and recommendations to themanagements of Emfuleni Local Municipality, Save the Vaal Environment (SAVE), and JTIndustrialWaste.

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TableofContents

THEFISHKILLOF2008ANDCLEANUPOPERATIONSINTHEVAALRIVERBARRAGENOVEMBER2008APRIL2009................................................................................1

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................................3SAVEtakesnoteoffishkills......................................................................................................................6TheNovember2008outbreakofcholeraandtheresponseofDWAF...................................7Thecleanupoperation ........................................................................................................................... 10Causesofthefishkills ..............................................................................................................................12Fleetsize......................................................................................................................................................... 15Healthandsafetyprecautions ............................................................................................................. 16CleaninguptheRietspruitwastewatertreatmentworks........................................................ 17Dredging ........................................................................................................................................................ 18Strategicconsiderations:sedimentremoval/dredging ............................................................ 18RandWateranddredgingactivitiesintheVaalRiverBarrage............................................ 20CurrentopinionsondredgingintheVaalRiverBarrage ........................................................ 24ViewsofMrPaulPotgieter .................................................................................................................... 26Usingplantstopurifycontaminatedwater:reeds,hyacinthandthehaybaleproject............................................................................................................................................................................ 28Strategicplanning ..................................................................................................................................... 31iFormulatingasetofguidelinesforcleanupoperations ................................................. 31iiSamplingprocedures........................................................................................................................ 32iiiLocatingpollutionhotspots .......................................................................................................... 32ivWhistleblowinginformation........................................................................................................ 32vBoatingandsafetyontheVaalRiverBarrage...................................................................... 33viPublicawarenessandcommunication ..................................................................................... 35Theaftermathofthecleanupoperation ........................................................................................ 36Someconclusions ....................................................................................................................................... 37Addendum01............................................................................................................................................... 41Proposal:InvestigatingthepossibleestablishmentofanenvironmentalprotectionvolunteerunitfortheVaalRiverBarrage ...................................................................................... 41

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Figure2Regionalmapof theVaalRiverBarrage. Lower centre left is the LochVaal andbottom right is theVaalDam.The riverpasses throughVereeniging,VanderbijlparkandtheSasolburgtownshipofVaalPark1

Introduction

In September 2008 a report of South Africa’s Department of Water Affairs andForestry(DWAF)compiledbyexpertswhohadbeenresearchingthecatchmentforanumber of years, warned that the deteriorating water quality of the Vaal Riverneeded a whole range of new management and control measures to cope withincreasingsiltdepositsofsewageandindustrialwaste.Itwasstated:

(T)he statusquoandhistorical trends in termsof landbasedactivities andwaterusepractices cannot continue unabated. Water users, major role players and theDepartment have to all start taking responsibility where required, to ensure thesituationdoesnotworsen,andtoensureprogressiveimprovementandsustainableuseofthewaterresources.Whileitisacceptedthatsocioeconomicdevelopmentisneededin South Africa, with the Vaal River System supporting key areas of the nationaleconomy, it cannot occur at the expense of the water resource system. A range ofmanagement strategies and control measures are required to deal with the currentsituation.2

TheVaalRiverBarrage,alongwithcertainsectionsdownstream,wassingledoutinthereport.Thetotaldissolvedsolids(TDS)inthispartoftheriver,extendingoveradistanceofabout50kmbelowtheVaalDamwasextraordinarilyhigh.Siltdeposits,

1. Source:GoogleEarth.Accessed2009.04.10.

2. RSA C000/00/2305/5. DWAF, Integrated water quality management plant for theVaal River system. Task 6: Evaluation of water quality management scenarios(Pretoria,September2008),p.17.

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in the form of sewage, industrial wastewater and toxic acid mine drainage hadaffectedvariousareasoftheriver.

The report highlighted, in scientific terms, a matter that had for a considerableperiod of time been of great concern to civil society in the southern parts ofGauteng.Apartfromitsmorefamiliarreputationasaflourishingindustrialarea,theVaalTrianglehasbeenamajorGautengdestination for leisureactivities.The localresidentialpropertymarketonthebanksoftheVaalRiverBarrageinVanderbijlparkhasbeenanactiveonesince the1980s,with thesepropertiesbeinghighly soughtafter by upmarket upmarket buyers. Many residents of Johannesburg, Sandton,Randburg,MidrandandPretoriahavepurchasedweekendhomeson thebanksoftheVaalRiverBarragereservoir.3Whatbeganinthe1940sasanumberofinformaland disparate rural housing developments along the banks of the Vaal RiverBarrage,4 had by the 1980s become an upmarket destination, similar to theHartebeestpoortDam inNorthWestProvince. Itwas fromthesepropertyowners,whohave increasedsubstantially innumbersincethemid1990s, that thevoiceofdiscontent about the environmental health of the Vaal River Barrage was firstsounded.

Amongtheleadinggroupstoaddresstheissueofthedeterioratingconditionoftheriver was the non‐governmental, organisation Save the Vaal Environment (SAVE),foundedinthe1990sbyanumberofriverpropertyowners.Theyhadanimpressivetrack record.Their firstmajorenvironmental ‘victory’was in1997when they tookSASOL, South Africa’s former state‐owned petroleum‐from‐coal industry to court.ThecompanyhadplanstostartminingacoalfieldinawetlandonthebanksoftheVaalRiverBarrage,tosupplycoaltoitsSasolburgplant.Thepropertyownerswereupset about the nuisance value of an air‐polluting industry in a highly desirableupmarket residential area. They were also, to a man (and no doubt, a woman),againsttheminingofthewetlandsituatedonCloudyCreek,apopularlocalbirdingsiteontheriver.5SAVEwontheircourtactionandSASOLhaltedallplanstomineonthesite.TheNGOthenwentintoaphaseofstasis,asthethreattoafamiliarrelaxingenvironmentseemedtosubside.

3. TempelhoffOralArchive(TOA)Interview:MsMariaChase(74),ChaseColiseumPty

Ltd,Vanderbijlpark,2007.04.16.

4. TOAInterview:MrBobDutton,DuttonMotors,Sasolburg,2007.04.02.

5. JWNTempelhoff, “Civil society and sanitation hydropolitics: a case study of SouthAfrica’sVaalRiverBarrage”inPhysicsandChemistryoftheEarth,PartsA/B/C,34(3),2009,pp.164‐175.

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Figure3InMay2008rawsewagewasflowingdownCloudyCreek.ThestreamflowingintotheVaalRiverBarragehadaheavyodourofsewageandlocalboatersandbirdwatcherspreferredtoseekalternativesitestofrequentalongtheriver6

Then, in 2003, therewere numerous complaints by property owners, anglers andvisitors to the riverfront. All was not well. The situation had visibly deteriorated.Therewere frequentreportsofdead fishontheVaalRiverBarrageandnumerouscomplaintswere voiced that the riverwater smelt unpleasantly of sewage. Itwasthen that SAVE was revived by the River Property Owners Association, a type ofratepayers’ organisation. Aided by a team of legal experts in their midst, theconcernedriverpropertyownersformedanactiveteamwiththeexpressobjectiveofhaltingthedeterioratiingenvironmentalhealthoftheVaalRiverBarrage.In2006‐7SAVE,nowunder the chairmanshipofAdvocate LötterWepenerSC,onceagainmade significant headway by drumming up support for discussions with EmfuleniLocal Municipality, frequently threatening to take the local authority to court.Deliberations between stakeholders brought further progress when a retired civilengineer,MrFredKolbe,tookchargeandmadeheadwaywithgettingthemorethan50old,dilapidatedsewagepumpingstationsalongtheVaalRiverBarragebackintoworking order. Kolbe’s untimely death in 2007 and a number of managementchangesatEmfuleniLocalMunicipalityonceagainleftEmfuleniLocalMunicipality’ssewage infrastructure in a fragile conditionwith intermittent breakdowns causingspillsofrawsewageintotheVaalRiverBarrage.Atthetime,SAVEissuedanumberofwarnings toEmfuleni’sMetsi‐a‐Lekoa–adedicatedwater companycreated forthe purpose ofmanaging themunicipality’s water infrastructuremore effectively.For some time it appearedas if the local authoritieswere intenton setting things6. Photograph:JWNTempelhoff,CloudyCreek,2008.06.01.

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right.Thegovernment, through theministerofwateraffairsand forestry, let itbeknown in the national assembly that funding would be provided to take thenecessarystepstostabilisetheregion’swaterinfrastructure.7

AwarethatgovernmenthadtakennoteofconditionsontheVaalRiverBarrageandwaswilling tohelp,SAVE’smemberscontinued tomonitoranextensivesectionoftheUpperVaalRiver,fromtheVaalDam,downtoParysintheNorthernFreeState.Inthecourseof2008theNGOheldanumberofpublicmeetingsinformingpropertyowners on the state of the river. SAVE’s management committee also kept aconstantvigilonpotentialspillsandactivelyengagedwithofficialsatEmfuleniLocalMunicipality, Rand Water and DWAF. Through the local newspaper, SAVE alsoensured that the public in the Vaal Triangle were kept well informed on thedysfunctionalpumpstationsspillinguntreatedsewageintotheVaalRiverBarrage.

SAVEtakesnoteoffish‐kills

In recent years fish‐kills havebeen reported frequently inpartsof theUpperVaalRiver catchment. In January 2006 hundreds of fish were killed in the Vaal RiverBarrage, causing an angry public outcry aboutwhatwas going on in the river.8 InDecember 2007, at the time of the annual Christmas holidays, thousands of deadfish floated in theVaalDam,upstreamof theVaalRiverBarrage. Speculationwasrifeonwhathadcausedthedeaths.9Theresponsibleauthorities issuednoreportsintopossiblecausativefactors. InAugust2008SAVEexpressedconcernabout fish‐kills in the Vaal River, below the Barrage. SAVE activist, Thomas du Toit, told themediathatthekillsprobablyoccurredafteraspill intotheriveron10August.10DuToithadbeenmonitoringtheriverforaconsiderableperiodoftime,actingasaone‐manresponseunittoanycellularphonecalls informinghimofspills.Atthetimealivelydebatewastheorderofthedayinthepublicsphere.Beforetheonsetofthesummer rains, the rivers and water storage facilities in many parts of the SouthAfrican interior evidenced traces of severe pollution. Municipal water supply and

7. Formore on this theme, see JWN Tempelhoff, “Water and the human culture of

appropriation: the Vaal River up to 1956” in TD The Journal for TransdisciplinaryResearchinSouthernAfrica,2(2),December2006,pp.431‐452;JWNTempelhoff,VMunnik and M Viljoen, “The Vaal River Barrage, South Africa’s hardest workingwaterway: an historical contemplation” in TD The Journal for TransdisciplinaryResearchinSouthernAfrica,3(1)July2007,pp.107‐133.

8. JWNTempelhoff,VMunnikandMViljoen, “TheVaalRiverBarrage,SouthAfrica’shardest working waterway: an historical contemplation” in TD The Journal forTransdisciplinaryResearchinSouthernAfrica,3(1)July2007,pp.107‐133.

9. E Tempelhoff, “Vaaldam se visse vrek glo van herpes” in Beeld, 2008.01.22 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/01/22/B1/4/etkoi_18‐01‐08(17‐55‐08)etempelhoff.html (Accessed 2009.04.13); E Tempelhoff, “Kommer oor grootvisvrekte in Vaaldam” in Beeld, 2008.01.01 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/01/01/B1/1/etvis_30‐12‐07(16‐26‐42)etempelhoff.html(Accessed2009.04.13).

10. Anon.,“FishdeathsworrySAVE”inVaalweekblak,2008.08.27‐29,p.4.

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sanitationservices,inparticular,showedsignsofseveredeteriorationandneglect.11In September water affairs and forestry minister, Lindiwe Hendricks, said inparliament that sewageeffluentsofmunicipalities in all partsof the countrywerebelowpar.InGauteng,whichwasoneofthe‘better’provinces,atotalof75percentofwastewatertreatmentworkswerenotworkingproperly.12

In October 2008 a fish‐kill occurred at the Student Lake, a storm water stream‐suppliedlakeofwaterclosetotheVaalUniversityofTechnologyinVanderbijlpark.Hundredsofcarp,barbel,moggel,blackbass,kurpersandmudfish,aswellassomeendemic water birds had been killed.13 SAVE reported the matter to the BlueScorpions14whoinspectedthesite.Leadingmembersofthispolicingunitexpressedserious concerns about the state of pollution in the lake. Again SAVE took theinitiativetokeepthepublicinformedinthemedia.Itappearedthatthefish‐killhadbeen caused by an industrial spill in town. The following month, thanks to localresidents, SAVE once again reported on an irresponsible sewage spill caused anEmfuleniLocalMunicipalitytruckinoneofthesuburbsofVereeniging.15Withtheaidof local residents, SAVE’s Thomas du Toit inspected sewage spills emanating fromEmfuleni’s Leeukuil wastewater treatment works in Vereeniging, shortly after thefirst summer rainfall in November 2008. Pump stations and retainer dams at thetownships of Sharpeville, ThreeRivers and close to the central business district ofVereenigingwereconstantlybeingflooded.ThiscausedvastamountsofrawsewagetoflowintotheVaalRiverBarrage.16

TheNovember2008outbreakofcholeraandtheresponseofDWAF

In November 2008matters came to a sudden head. Cholera, a highly contagiouswater‐based disease that had first broken out in August 2008 in the Zimbabweancapital of Harare, soon spread to all parts of southern Africa. It was largtely theresultofthepoliticalcollapseofeffectivegovernmentinZimbabweunderZANUPF

11. JWNTempelhoff,AvanZyl,GvanRiet,CGouws,HJordaan,SMotloung,ALudick,G

van Greuning, J Hardy, A Venter, A Schlemmer, An investigation into theenvironmental health of the Vaal River in the vicinity of Parys (Report 01/2008,Research Niche Area for the Cultural Dynamics of Water, North‐West University,VaalTriangleCampus,Vanderbijlpark,2008).

12. JEybers,“Rioolslyk‐situasie”inRapport,2008.09.12,p.NuusV.

13. JFarr,“Fish‐killingpollution”inVaalweekblad,2008.10.15‐17,p.4;SBega,“Bigstinkoverdeadfish”inSaturdayStar,2008.10.18,p.9.

14. Aneliteprosecutingagency.

15. E Tempelhoff, “Dis glo modder” in Beeld, 2008.11.19 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/11/19/B1/8/etemfuleni.html(Accessedon2008.12.29).

16. Personaldisclosures,ThomasduToit,October–November2008.Theauthorof thisreportparticipatedinanumberoffieldworkexcursionstospillagesiteswithDuToitinthisperiod.

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and the leadership of President Robert Mugabe.17 On 15 November the first ofseveral thousand patientswere treated in the Northern Limpopo Province bordertownofMusina.ThetownandsurroundingVhembeDistrictbecametheepicentreofthecholeraoutbreakinSouthAfrica.Emergencyteamsinallpartsofthecountrybeganworkingoncontaining the spreadof thedisease.ByMarch2009,when theepidemicseemedtosubside,theauthoritiesreported59civilianshaddiedandmorethan3000hadbeentreatedforcholerainvariouspartsofthecountry.18Thefearofcholera in November 2008 had the effect that health authorities took specialprecautionary measures to prevent the disease from spreading. In Gauteng, byDecember emergency teamswere hard atwork to prevent cholera frombreakingoutinpotentialhotspots.TheVaalRiverBarrage,asaresultofthesewagespills,wasaprimesiteforatypicalcholeraoutbreakandwiththisinmindspecialprecautionsweretakentoconstantlymonitorthereservoir.

There were also indications that the government was intent on taking steps toimproveconditions.EarlierinNovemberwateraffairsandforestryminister,LindiweHendricks, told a conference in Boksburg in the Ekhuruleni Municipal District ofGauteng,thattransgressionsoftheNationalWaterActwouldbefollowedupwithlegalsteps.19Atthetimeitappearedthattherewasanewsenseofurgencyinthewatersector.Then,on18November,thedepartmentofwateraffairsandforestry(DWAF)letitbeknowninthemediathatformallegalstepswouldbetakenagainstEmfuleni Local Municipality because of its apparent inability to get its waterinfrastructureintoproperworkingorder.20MrMariusKeet,deputydirector‐generalof water quality control at DWAF, explained that the proposed course of actionagainst Emfuleni was a first for DWAF, i.e. one government department takinganothertocourt.21On19November,SAVEtookEmfuleniLocalMunicipality totheJohannesburgHighCourtwhereacourtorderwasissuedon21Novemberinfavourof SAVE, instructing Emfuleni to immediately start repairing a number ofmalfunctioning sewage pumping stations that were responsible for spilling rawsewage in the Three Rivers residential area of Vereeniging and in Sharpeville, the

17. For a comprehensive perspective on the history of the cholera outbreak in

Zimbabwe,seeMNyandoro,ThehistoryofcholerainZimbabwe(workcurrentlyinprogress).

18. ForacomprehensiveexpositionofthecholeraoutbreakinSA,seeJWNTempelhoff(workinprogress).



21. Intermsofthepolicyguidelineofcooperativegovernanceithasbecomecustomaryforgovernmentdepartments to refrain fromtaking legal stepsagainsteachother.Activists have, for a number of years confronted the government on the negativeeffectsofthispolicy.

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formerapartheid‐eratownshipontheoutskirtsof thetown.22ThemanagementofSAVEwere,atthetime,alsoincorrespondencewiththeBlueScorpionstostresstheneed for an investigation and potential court case against Emfuleni.23 It appearedthatEmfulenihadbegunthework,butitwasamatteroftoolittletoolate.Therainyseasonhadarrivedand significantproblems lay ahead for the local authoritywithwastewater treatmentworksconstantly runningatovercapacity,clearlyunable toprocessallthesewage.

In anticipationof thedeteriorating situation the EmeraldCasinoResort, a popularleisure destination in Vanderbijlpark, cancelled a national swimming event in theVaal River ‘due to the unsuitable quality of theVaal River’. Resort chief executiveofficer,MrMartinRice,explainedthatthenationalswimmingevent,scheduledfor3Novembercouldnotbeheld.24PreviousattemptsbySAVE’sThomasduToittowarnthecasinooftheimminentdangerofswimminginthecontaminatedriver,hadbeenunsuccessful.25 Now, for the first time, as fears of cholera grewmoremenacing,careful measures were taken in the interest of safety and human health. RandWater’smanager of the Vaal River Barrage Catchment, Francois vanWyk, told anenvironmental specialists’ conference in Bela‐Bela in the Limpopo Province thatsewage pollution in the Vaal River Barrage had become so bad that one couldliterallywalkonthepollutedriver.26Then,on5December,SAVEobtainedasecondcourt order against Emfuleni local municipality for not properly addressing thesewagepollutionoftheVaalRiverBarrage.27AthirdHighCourtinjunction,alsoon5December, ruled thatEmfuleni LocalMunicipalityhad tomake immediateworkofcleaninguptheVaalRiverBarrage.28Inparticular,SAVEnowdemandedthatthatthe22. TheHighCourtofSouthAfrica(Witwatersrandlocaldivision):Case08/400064,The

matter between SAVE and the Emfuleni Local Municipality, 2008.11.21; ETempelhoff, “Hof gelas herstel van pompstasies: organisasie keelvol vir riool” inBeeld, 2008.11.24 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/volksblad/2008/11/24/VB/4/etsave_1936.html(Accessed2009.04.04).

23. Email correspondence: Thomas du Toit to L Wepener, 2008.11.18; EmailcorrespondenceFionaJouberttoThomasduToit2008.11.19.

24. Sapa, “Swimming event postponed” in The Citizen, 2008.11.26 athttp://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=84059,1,22 (Accessed2009.04.07).

25. Anon., “Vaal River pronounced clean for Emerald Challenge” in Vaalweekblad,2007.11.28‐30,p.15;JWNTempelhoff,“Civilsocietyandsanitationhydropolitics:acase study of South Africa’s Vaal River Barrage” in Physics and Chemistry of theEarth,PartsA/B/C,34(3),2009,pp.164‐175,174.

26. E Tempelhoff, “Mens kan op rioolafval in Barrage loop” in Beeld, 3008.11.29 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/11/29/B1/10/etbarrage.html(Accessed2008.12.28).

27. TheHighCourtof SouthAfrica (Witwatersrand localdivision):Case08/41554,ThematterbetweenSAVEandtheEmfuleniLocalMunicipality,2008.12.05.

28. TheHighCourtofSouthAfrica(Witwatersrandlocaldivision):Case08/400064,ThematterbetweenSAVEandtheEmfuleniLocalMunicipality,2008.12.05.

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Rietspruit wastewater treatment works be repaired to prevent raw sewage fromflowingintotheLochVaalareaoftheVaalRiverBarrage.29Thejudgealsoreaffirmedthe need for the Vereeniging water infrastructure to be repaired with immediateeffect.30 On the same day a comprehensive cleaning up operation began. In themedia, SAVE chairman, LötterWepener,warned thepublic to stay away from theVaalRiver,at leastuntil theendof January2009.Theriver firsthadtoclean itselfaftertheserioussewagespills.31

Theclean‐upoperation

In early December 2008, Mr Marinus de Wilde, a DWAF official at Deneysville,informedMrFransCilliers(41),adeveloperandindustrialclean‐upspecialistofthefish‐kill in the Barrage. Cilliers immediately contacted his business associate, MrGerhard Terblanche, project manager of JT Industrial WasteManagement (JTI), aMeyerton‐basedwastemanagementandcontractingfirmwithcloseworkingtiestoEmfuleni Local Municipality.32 After the third court order had been issued on 5DecemberJTIstartedwiththeremovalofdeadfishfromtheVaalRiverBarrage.

Anumberoflocalandprovincialpoliticaldignitaries,andmanagementofficialsmadepersonalvisitstotheVaalRiverBarragetoformafirst‐handimpressionofthestateofaffairsinthereservoir.33JTIplacedaspecialvesselatthedisposalofgovernmentrepresentativesandmembersof themediawhowanted to seehow thedead fishwere removed from the river. The Gauteng Provincial member of the executivecouncil(MEC)forlocalgovernment,QadaniDorothyMahlangu,madeastatementtothe media. Pans were well underway, she said to make effective repairs to theprovince’s municipal wastewater treatment works that had been responsible forspillingvastamountsof rawsewage in theVaalRiver. Sheassured thepublic thatnewmanagementstrategieswouldbeintroducedinordertoaddresstheproblem,whichhadbeenanongoingissueforthebetterpartof12years.34

Thefirstbaseforthecleaning‐upoperationteamwasatSamGross,apublicboatinglaunching pad, close to the River Square Shopping Complex in Vereeniging.35 The29. TSkadeandLFlanagan,“EcologicaldisasteratVaalRiver”inTheStar,2008.12.05,p.

3.

30. A Schoeman, “Dooie visse 24 uur per dag it Vaal gehaal” inBeeld, 2008.12.06 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/12/06/B1/2/hs1Vaalrivier.html(Accessed2008.12.28).

31. H Mnguni, “Vaal River pollution will last” in The Citizen, 2008.12.07 athttp://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=84812,1,22 (Accessed2009.04.07).

32. TempelhoffOralArchive (TOA)Oral information (OI)20081227: FSCilliers (41), JTIBaseCampLochVaal,2008.12.27.

33. InformationGTerblanche,LochVaalBasecamp,2008.12.26.

34. Sapa, “Sewage spilt into Vaal river for 12 years” in The Citizen, 2008.12.11 athttp://www.citizen.co.za/index/article.aspx?pDesc=85232,1,22 (Accessed2009.04.07).

35. TOA.OI20081227:FSCilliers(41),JTIBaseCampLochVaal,2008.12.27.

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public tended to interfere with the workers who wereo operating under severepressureinahighlydangerousworkingenvironment.Consequently,on7Decemberthe base campwasmoved to the Kaalplaats Plots at Loch Vaal. From there theyworkedupstreamintheVaalRiverBarragetoVereeniging.36

AtthebeginningofDecember,deadfishwerefloatingovera largesurfaceareaoftheVaal RiverBarrage. In the early phaseof the clean‐up it becameevident that,contrary to early assumptions, therehad also beenmany fish‐kills in the tributarystreamsof theSuikerbosandKlip rivers.37 In theKlip itself therewereno live fishvisible on the electronic fish‐finders installed on the clean‐up boats. Furthermore,therewerenotracesoflivingfishintheSharpevillechannel,upstreamoftheAscotBridge in Vereeniging. However, the teammembers foundmany dead fish in thearea and the local environment had an overwhelmingly foul odour.38 Furtherdownstream, just above the Taaibosspruit, they located more dead fish.39 As theclean‐upprogresseditwasevidentthattheentirestretchoftheVaalbelowtheKlipRiver had been littered with large numbers of dead fish. Extensive clean‐upoperationswerealsoconducted furtherdownstreamat theBarrageweirandLochVaal.Asclearingthedebrisof the fish‐killbecamemoreroutine, theteamdevisedstrategiesfortheorderlyexecutionofoperations.Aninvestigatorwouldfirstbesentin to survey theareawhere cleaningactivitieswere to takeplace.A reportwouldthenbecompiled indicatingthepotential risksworkerscouldexpectonthesite.Awritten reportwould typicallybe submitted to theoperationsmanagement.40 Thiswouldthenbediscussedbeforeacleaningteamwasbriefedandsentout.

JudgingfromthenumberofdeadfishinthetributariesoftheVaalRiverBarrage,itappeared as if it was not only Emfuleni Local Municipality that was at fault. ThemanagementofJTIwasconvincedthattherewerespillsinotherpartsoftheUpperVaal River catchment. This was confirmed when reports of sewage spills in theGovanMbekiMunicipality inMpumalanga appeared in themedia. It appears thatthousandsof litresofsewagefloweddowntheKlipspruit ineMbalanenhleletotheWatervalRiverandthenintotheVaalRivereveryday.41However,inthemediatheblame for thepollutionof theVaalRiverBarrageand the fish‐killswas still placed

36. TOA.OI20081227:FSCilliers(41),JTIBaseCampLochVaal,2008.12.27.

37. TOA.OI20081227:FSCilliers(41),JTIBaseCampLochVaal,2008.12.27;JTIReportGTerblanche–EmfuleniLocalMunicipality,2008.12.12.Title:“WatersamplestakeninconjunctionwithWaterLab”.

38. JTI Report G Terblanche – Emfuleni Local Municipality, 2008.12.12. Title: “WatersamplestakeninconjunctionwithWaterLab”.


40. See for example JTI Waste Management Confidential report: JP Botha, Riskassessment:VaalOewerGooseBayCanyonBoatClub2008.12.19.

41. A Jacobs, “Besoedeling van Vaalrivier kring groter uit” in Beeld, 2008.12.09 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/12/09/B1/5/ajbesoedeling.html(Accessed2008.12.28).

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squarelyonEmfuleniLocalMunicipality’sRietspruitwastewatertreatmentworks.42Over a long period of time a stereotype had been created in the public mind ofEmfuleni Local Municipality’s apparent intransigence and lethargy to respond tosewage spills in the river. Furthermore, the council hardly communicatedwith themediatoinformthepublicofwhatwasbeingdoneatthetime.Theclean‐upproject,in itself, was a costly venture. It attracted considerable public attention. Newscoverageembracedtheentirespectrum– fromradioandtelevisionto theprintedmedia.However,thiswasnotfollowedupwithapro‐activecampaignofinformationto spread the word that a responsible local authority was taking appropriatemeasurestodealwiththecrisisathand.

In contrast, Rand Water and SAVE communicated their views on the issueunequivocally.AsfarastheywereconcernedEmfuleniwastheprimeculprit.Theyconveyed this strong message in no uncertain terms. Peter Hoge, Rand Water’scatchmentmanagementofficial for theVaalRiverBarrageexplained thatEmfulenihad a long history of breakdowns at itswastewater treatmentworks. The systemwas old and there was also the added strain of rapid development in the area.43SAVE chairperson, Wepener, underlined this by telling the media that hisorganisation had become frustrated because all attempts at finding a peacefulsolutiontothecrisisoveranextendedperiodof18months,hadprovedfutile.Legalstepshadbeenalastresort.TheobjectivewastogetEmfuleni’smanagementtoendtotherawsewagespillsintheBarrage.44

Causesofthefish‐kills

Atthetimeoftheclean‐upoperationmembersoftheJTIteamfrequentlydiscussedwhythefishhaddied.Therewereanumberoftheories.Somewereoftheopinionthat toxic industrial wastewater could have been responsible. Others argued thatfluctuating temperatures could also have played a role. Most participants in thedebatecametotheconclusionhat thedamagehadbeencausedbysewage.45Therelease of large amounts of phosphate‐rich sewage into the Vaal River Barragepromotedthegrowthanddemiseofalgaebloomsinthewater.Scientistsdescribethe condition as hypoxia. It occurs when algae blooms die and decompose. Thedecompositionofthealgaeremovesoxygenfromthewaterandbecausetheyrelyon oxygen, fish would literally asphyxiate.46 It is also likely that the fish became

42. TSkadeandLFlanagen,“EcologicaldisasteratVaalRiver’inTheStar,2008.12.05,p.

3.

43. Ibid.,p.3.

44. Ibid.,p.3.

45. This researcherquestioned themembersof the clean‐upoperation closelyon thisissuebetween23December2008and5January2009.

46. L Whittemore, “A lone voice” Flux Magazine, 2008 athttp://flux.uoregon.edu/2008/bob/a‐lone‐voice/?searchterm=hypoxia (Accessed2008.12.27and2009.04.13);Hypoxia is currentlyposingamajor threat toaquaticsystems intheGulfofMexicoandthe IndianOcean inthevicinityof India.SeePVSundareshwar, R Murtugudde, G Srinivasan, S Singh, KJ Ramesh, R Ramesh, SB

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trappedinshallowstreamsandgullieswheretheyhadventuredduringthedaytimeinsearchoffood.Then,astheeveningsetin,theywouldbeovertakenbythedropinoxygenlevelsandbeunabletoswimbackintothemainstreamoftheriverwhereoxygenlevelswerehigher.47

Figure4Deadfishinanadvancedstageofdecomposition48

Thefactofthematteristhatthedirectcauseofthefish‐kills,aswasthecasein2006and 2007, remains something of amystery. If this continues it could only take onwider proportions. In 2008 crocodiles started dying in the Olifants River ofpansteatis, a disease causing the body fat of the animal to harden as a result ofinadequate antioxidant levels (for example a lackofVitamin E). Thebodies of the

Verma, D Agerwal, D Baldocchi, CK Baru, KK Baruah, GR Chowdury, VK Dadhwal,CBSDutt, JFuentes,PrabhatKGupta,WWHargrove,MHoward,CSJha,SLal,WKMichener,APMitra,JTMorris,RRMyneni,MNaja,RNemani,RPurvaja,SRaha,SKSanthana Vanan, M Sharma, A Subramaniam, R Sukumar, RR Twilley and PRZimmerman, “Environmental monitoring network for India” in Science, 316,2007.04.13,pp.204‐5.

47. Personaldisclosure,FvanWyk,RandWater,2009.11.29.

48. PhotographJTIndustries,2008.12.07.

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crocodilesbecamehardenedandstiffandthisreducedtheirmobility.Theresultwasthat they starved and in some cases even drowned.49 The erosion of the aquaticbiodiversityinSouthAfrica’shardestworkingriversisamatterofgraveconcern.Thefish‐kills in theVaalRiverBarragehavewidespreadandominous significance.Oneexampleprovesthepoint.Atthetimeoftheclean‐upoperation,membersoftheJTIteamwereinformedthatseverallocalfishermenweresellingdeadfishfoundintherivertopeopleresidentintownshipsandinformalsettlementsintheEmfuleniLocalMunicipalityarea.50Theimplicationsofthisnotonlyplaceinjeopardythehealthofhumans,theyalsohaveanimpactontheregionalecologicalsystem.

Figure5Adeadbarbeltakenfromthewater51

49. LvanVuuren,“Expertsunitetosaveabusedriverfromextinction:waterresources

management”inWaterWheel,8(1),January/February2009,pp.14‐17.

50. PersonaldisclosureGTerblanche,basecamp,LochVaal,2009.12.27.

51. PhotographJTIndustries.

15

Fleetsize

Whentheprojectbeganthefleetcomprised12vesselsandtherewasateamof29workers.Inadditiontotheskippersofeachvesseltherewerecleaners,threescubadiversandtwomedicalofficers.52By17Decemberafleetof21vessels,15ofwhichwerebeingusedfortheactualcleaningoperations,wereontheVaalRiverBarrage,working on a water surface area of 20km2. Other vessels were used for thetransportationofpoliticaldignitaries,themedia,medicsaccompanyingthecleaningupteams,andalsoscubadivingteamsthatassistedthecleaners.53

Table1Astatisticalviewofthehumanresourcesandequipmentusedfortheclean‐upofdeadfishontheVaalRiverBarrage4to20December200854

Whilethenumberofvesselsused intheoperationalmostdoubled inthespaceoftwoweeks,thenumberofworkersonsiteonly increasedby25percent.Thiswasbecausemorespecialisedworkers,suchasscubadiversandmedicalorderlieswerebroughtintosupporttheworkerscollectingdeadfish.After20Decembertheclean‐up process became more sophisticated. While the fleet of vessels was graduallyreducedmorespecialisedvesselswereacquired.On29DecemberaKnysnaCruiser

52. ReportAndre,VaalRiverCleanupProject:vesselsandcrew,2008.12.28.

53. JTIReportGTerblanche–EmfuleniLocalMunicipality,2008.12.17.Title:“RemovalandsafedisposalofdeadfishinTaaibosspruit/VaalRiver/Barrage”.

54. Compiled from data in Report Andre van Niekerk, Vaal River Clean up Project:vesselsandcrew,2008.12.28.

16

waspurchasedtogetherwithaStealthrubberduck.Thesevesselswereearmarkedforthepurposesoflong‐termpollutioncontrol,monitoringandreconnaissance.55

Healthandsafetyprecautions

Fromtheoutsetmedicsformedpartoftheclean‐upoperations.Theyaccompaniedthecleanersbutwereonseparatevessels.Whenoperationsbeganon4Decemberthereweretwomedicalofficersinthecrew.56Oneofthemedicswasinjuredduringoperations and a report was submitted on the incident. Comprehensive safetyprecautionswere taken to prevent any potential contamination that could pose ahealththreat. Inallthewashroomsantisepticsoapwasavailable.Wheneverteamscamefromthewater,theyfirsthadtopassthroughfoot‐bathingprocedures.57Inaneffort toensurethehealthofall involved in theoperationallworkerson thesiteswere told to haveHepatitis A and Tetanus injections.58MessrsMega Pharmacy inLeslie Street, Vereeniging, administered these. By 28 December 62 workers hadreceivedmedication.59 Itwas standardprocedure to constantly takeprecautionarymeasures against any conditions that could jeopardise the health and safety ofworkersintheteam.OntheeveningofFriday19DecemberGerhardTerblanche,theproject manager, suffered cardiac arrest. He was immediately hospitalised andbookedhimselfoutthefollowingday.60

55. PersonaldisclosureGerhardTerblanche,BaseCamp,2008.12.31.

56. Report Andre van Niekerk, Vaal River Clean up Project: vessels and crew,2008.12.28.

57. InformationGerhardTerblanche,LochVaalBasecamp,2008.12.23.

58. 5mlAvaxim(inactivatedHepatitisAvaccinecultivatedonhumandiploidcells),byAventisPasteur;and5mlTetavax(purifiedTetanustoxoid)bySanofiPasteur.

59. InformationMegaPharmacy,LeslieStreet,Vereeniging,2008.12.28.

60. PersonaldisclosureMariaanvanderWalt,BaseCamp,2008.12.31.

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CleaninguptheRietspruitwastewatertreatmentworks

Figure6Front‐endloader,liftedbycraneontoabiofilterfortrenchdiggingtodeterminetheextentofcleaningrequiredattheRietspruitwastewatertreatmentplant61

Although JTI was initially only appointed to clean up the fish‐kill, because thecompany had wide experience in pollution clearance and was also one of thepreferred contractorsof theEmfuleni LocalMunicipality, itwas instructed to startworkingoncleaningtheRietspruitwastewatertreatmentworks.JTIbeganthison4December.OneoftheleadingroleplayersintheprojectwasMrTomFerreirawhohadmorethan20yearsexperienceofworkingontheplant.Specialtechniquesandtechnologies were used to address what was a critical and potentially seriousdisasterattheplant.Theteamusedaspecialcranetohoistafront‐endloaderontothetopofabiofilter,sothatatrenchcouldbedugtodeterminehowtheproblemofsewagesludgecouldbeaddressed.62Thiswasanunprecedentedstrategy.However,given the fact that they were working against the clock, extrememeasures wereprobablyjustified.

JTI, it later transpired, spared no expense in ensuring that the most efficienttechniqueswereusedtoendthesewagepollutioncrisis in theVaalRiverBarrage.Forexample,inanefforttodeterminetheextentofpollutionintheLochVaalareaoftheBarrage,TerblancheofJTIsecuredtheservicesofMrPaulPotgieter,perhapsoneofthemostexperiencedindustrialpollutionclean‐upspecialistsinSouthAfrica.

61. PhotographRvanderWalt,2008.12.24.

62. SeeRvanderWalt,JTIReport:Rietspruittreatmentplant(2008.12.24).

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Potgieterhasaninternationalreputationasanexpertinthefield.63Hewasflowninfrom Central East Africa, where he had been busy with a dredging project. Headvisedthatsamplesbetakenandthatthefirststepshouldbetoassessthetypeofclean‐up intervention thatwas required.Healsoadvised JTIonanumberofotheraspectsoftheproject.

Dredging

On12DecembertheJTIteamreportedtoEmfuleniLocalMunicipalitythatthepointwheretheKlipRiverflowedintotheVaalRiverBarragewassiltedup.Thedepthofthe inflow had dropped from about 5‐6 m to between 400 and 900 mm.64 AsubsequentreconnaissanceshowedthattheRietspruithadalsosiltedup.Accordingto Paul Potgieter,who did a snap survey of the reservoir,many tributaries of theVaalRiverintheBarrageweresiltedup.InthecaseoftheKlipRiverandRietspruit,thiswasdirectlyasaresultofheavysedimentflowsthatweredepositedontheriverbed.65

Strategicconsiderations:sedimentremoval/dredging

Dredging,astrategytodeepenchannelsinriversiscurrentlysubjecttoconsiderablescrutiny in environmentally friendly, integrated water management circles.Consequently,hydrologistsandmanagerswhoarecontemplatingdredging tendtogive considerable prominence to environmental considerations. For example, inplaces where dredging forms part of the channelling of rivers, engineers areincreasingly accommodating bends as a means of buffering streams from stormwaterflows.66Fromthe literature it isalsoevidentthat forthemostpartdredgingtakesplaceincoastalestuaryandmarineenvironmentswherebayareasneedtobemaintainedforshippingpurposes.

Dredgingalsohasitsdetractors.Recently,inMelbourne,AustraliaenvironmentalistsopposedchanneldeepeninginPortPhillipinthemouthoftheYarraRiver.Theplanwastodredgepartoftheriverbed1,5mdeeperthanithadeverbeenbefore.Thiswas unacceptable to environmental groups. They warned that toxins that hadsettledonthebedoftherivermorethan150yearsago,sincethetimeoflocalurbandevelopment,wouldresurface.Theywereawareofthepresenceofsubstanceslike

63. TOAOral information(OI)20081227:FSCilliers(41),JTIndustriesBaseCamp,Loch

Vaal,2008.12.27.

64. JT IndustriesReportGTerblanche–Emfuleni LocalMunicipality,2008.12.12.Title:“WatersamplestakeninconjunctionwithWaterLab”.

65. PersonaldisclosurePaulPotgieter,enroutereconnaissance trip throughLochVaalandRietspruit,2008.12.23.

66. BMoss,Ecologyof freshwaters:manandmedium,pastand future (Thirdedition,BlackwellScience,Oxford,1998),pp.170‐171.

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cadmium, lead, chromium, copper and zinc in chemical effluents that prior to the1980shadbeendumpedbyfactoriesintolocalstormwatersystems.67

Circumstantialevidencesuggeststhatcontemporarydredging,aslongasitiswithinasoundenvironmentalplanningframework,seemstobeacceptable.Ithasbecomea reliable and frequently used strategy in managed waterways, provided thesedimentsareofsuchachemicalnaturetoallowforeffectivedisposal,eitherintheexisting waterway or adjacent to it. In the field of environmental theory on riversystems, it is classified as one of a variety of strategies applied to comply withsyndromes commonly associatedwith theAnthropogenic Era, some two thousandyearsago,whenhumankindbegantomakesignificantinterventionsintothenaturalenvironment.Attemptsweremadeto‘rectify’errors,oreventopersistwithobviousformsofdestructiveactivitiy–sometimeswithdireconsequences.68

Dredgingasatechniquehasalonghistory,datingbacktotheBronzeAge,somefivethousand years ago in theNorthernHemisphere.69 In theNewWorld the Spanish,whentheyarrived inSouthandCentralAmerica, foundthatNativeAmericanshadcultivated dredged wetlands where sediment was used for highly productiveagriculturalactivities.70Moderndredging,becauseofitspotentialdestructiveimpacton the environment, has its roots in the evolution of powerful mechanicaltechnology, associated with gold mine dredging activities in nineteenth centuryUnitedStatesofAmerica.71Theuseofforce,bymeansofvastamountsofgeneratedenergy, even in those days, had consequences that were considered to bedetrimental to the environment. Subsequently, dredging has become moresophisticated. Today dredging activity is usually preceded by comprehensiveenvironmentalimpactassessmentsandconsultation.

67. HSmithandNBlake,“Baydredgingtocausemajorenvironmentaldamage”inGreen

Left On1ine,No. 621, 2005.04.06 at http://www.greenleft.org.au/2005/621/35037(Accessed2009.01.01).

68. M Meybeck, “Global analysis of river systems: from earth systems controls toanthropocene syndromes” in Philosophical Transactions (of the Royal Society):BiologicalSciences,358(1440),December2003,pp.1935‐1955.

69. See,forexample,NMariner,CMorhangeandCDoumet‐Serhal,“GeoarchaeologyofSidon’s ancient harbours, Phoenicia” in Journal of Archaeological Science, 33(11),November 2006, pp. 1514‐1535; J‐D Stanley, TF Jorstad and F Goddio, “Humanimpactonsedimentmassmovementandsubmergenceofancient sites in the twoharboursofAlexandria,Egypt”inNorwegianJournalofGeology,86,2006,pp.337‐350.

70. BMoss,Ecologyof freshwaters:manandmedium,pastand future (Thirdedition,BlackwellScience,Oxford,1998),p.171.

71. CC Spence, “The golden age of dredging: the development of an industry and itsenvironmentalimpact”inTheWesternHistoricalQuarterly,11(4),October1980,pp.401‐414.

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RandWateranddredgingactivitiesintheVaalRiverBarrage

For the purposes of benchmarking strategies to clean up excessive sedimentdepositsonthebedoftheVaalRiverBarrage,RandWater’sdredgingactivityintheVaalRiverBarragesincethe1960sisconsideredinthissectioniRandWater’suseofdredginginthereservoirwasessentiallyrelatedtotheremovalofsludge.FormanyyearsthedisposalofsludgeattheVereeniging72andZuikerbosch73pumpingstationswasbasicallymanagedinfourways.Itwas:dischargedintothewateroftheBarrage;pumpedintooldmineshafts;disposedofinlagoonsanddams;and/ordisposedofbymeansofthickening,dewateringanddispersioninresidueland.74Thedisposalofsludgewasaproblematicissue.IntermofitsstatutestheformerRandWaterBoardwasprohibitedfromdepositingtraderefuseoranysubstancewithinaradiusof8kmoftheBarrage,orinornearanywatercourse,spruit,streamorriverleadingintotheBarrage.Furthermore,inSection21(1)oftheWaterAct,No.54of1956,thequalitystandards for anywastewater or effluentwas outlined carefully.Wastewater thatcame from the production of water had to be odourless, tasteless and have amaximumpHof9,5.ThesludgeofRandWater’spumpingstations,asarule,didnotconformtothesestandards.75

Inthecourseofthe1960s,asaresultoftheincreasingamountsofwaterprocessed,sludgebegan toposemajorproblemsat Zuikerbosch.With thedemand forwaterincreasingbyaboutfivepercentperannum,ithadbecomeessentialtoenlargetheexisting sludge dams at Zuikerbosch. Daily, an amount of 130 tons would bedeposited in the damas a result of the 200million litres ofwater that had to beprovided tobulk consumers in theWitwatersrandareaofGauteng. Inaneffort tofindalternativestorageforthesludge,operatorsattheVereenigingpumpingstationstarted using oldworked out shafts of the Central CoalMine at Vereeniging. Thesludge was merely pumped down these passages. At the Zuikerbosch pumpingstationasimilarschemewasproposed for fillingupshaftsof theoldCorneliacoalmine.However,approvalfirsthadtobesoughtforthisstrategy.Consequently,theboardofRandWaterdecided toenlarge theZuikerboschsludgedamsatacostofR90000intheinterim.76

InAugust1969 thechiefengineer reported to theboard that thepumpingof intothe shafts of the Central colliery on the property of Vereeniging Refractories Ltd.,and the Anglo American Corporation in Vereeniging had been successful. A one‐

72. Takenintouseinthe1920s.

73. Takenintouseinthe1950s.

74. RandWater Archives (RWA), Klipriviersberg. Reference: RWA,Minutes 1982‐3, p.239. 1001st ordinary meeting, headquarters, Johannesburg, 1982.07.30. Chiefengineer’sreportno.6708.L.H.James.

75. RWA, Minutes 1982‐3, p. 135. 1001st ordinary meeting, headquarters,Johannesburg,1982.07.30.Chiefengineer’sreportno.6708.L.H.James.

76. RWA,Minutes 1968‐9, p. 156: 836e gewone vergadering van die Randwaterraad,hoofkwartierkantore, Johannesburg1968.10.25.Hoofingenieurseverslag,nr4509.L.H.James.

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metrediameterpipelinewas laidover adistanceofmore than30m, to allow forsludgetoflowdownthemineshaftsundergravity.Oncethesludgewasintheshaft,boreholes were sunk to extract the water. The cost of the initiative, R125000,appearedtobeconsiderablycheaper thanoperatingsludgedisposal sitesadjacentto the pumping stations.77 In 1974 the board gave permission for a furtherinvestment of R225000 in the project. However the dumping process into themineshafts was not entirely successful so it was decided to sink a number ofboreholes and then pump 18Ml sludge and filterwashwater into themine on adailybasis.Thequalityofthewaterretrievedfromthissourcewassufficienttomakeit pass as rawwater. At the time the price that the board paid for rawwater onpermit had recently goneup. Itwas envisaged that theuseof thepurified sludgewatercouldbringaboutasavingofuptoR12,40perMlperday.78

By 1975 there were problems with the scheme. Vereeniging Refractories Ltd., onwhosepropertysomeofthemineshaftsweresituated,complainedthattheamountofsludgepumpedintotheshafts,wouldnotholdupanysurfacestructuresinfuture.Consequently,RandWater’sengineeringsectionhadtoseekdumpingshaftsfurtheraway from the factory’sworking areas. Thismade it necessary to have additionalpumping facilities laid on, further away from the factory complex. An amount ofalmost R500000 was set aside for this development.79 As far as the board wasconcerned themeasurewas feasibleandwasoneof the fewalternatives that theVereenigingpumping stationhad toget ridof its sludge.Evenwhen, inDecember1976,substantiallymorewaspaidforthepumpingequipment, itdidnotmatter.Itwasstillthemosteconomicalmeansofgettingridofsludge.Furthermore,everyday12Mlofwaterwereextractedfromtheoldmineshafts.80

Apersistentproblemthenarose.Thesludgeoftentendedtocauseblockagesintheflowdownthemineshafts,whichmeantthatnewpumpingpointsconstantlyhadtobeopenedup.In1978engineersinvestigatedopeningupafurthersludgesiteattheCorneliaMineontheFreeStatesideoftheVaalRiver.Thiswassubjecttoadecisiononwhethertheexistingminewastobeturnedintoanopenspitmineforthesupplyofcoaltothenewpowerstationintheregion.Theprogrammewasthusplacedonhold.By1980,becausetherehadbeennopositiveresponsetothesludgetransferplans,theengineerswereliterallyforcedtoopenupnewsludgepumpingpointsintheoldCorneliaMine.Atthesametimeboreholesweresunkfortheextractionofwaterandnewpipelineswerelaid.81Anotherproblemthatpresenteditselfwasthe77. RWA, Minutes 1969‐70, p. 117: 846e gewone vergadering, hoofkwartier,

Johannesburg,1969.08.29.Hoofingenieursverslag,nr4592,R.J.Laburn.

78. RWA, Minutes 1974–5, pp. 41–2: 902e gewone vergadering, hoofkwartier,Johannesburg,1974.04.26.Hoofingenieursverslagnr5087,R.J.Laburn.

79. RWA, Minutes 1974–5, pp. 408–9: 912e gewone vergadering, hoofkwartier,Johannesburg,1975.02.28.Hoofingenieursverslag,nr5202,R.J.Laburn.

80. RWA, Minutes 1976–7, p. 399: 934e gewone vergadering, hoofkwartier,Johannesburg,1976.12.15.Hoofingenieursverslag,nr5540,R.J.Laburn.

81. RWA, Minutes 1980–81, p. 439. 982e gewone vergadering, hoofkwartier,Johannesburg,1980.10.31.Hoofingenierusverslagnr6314.L.H.James.

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fact thatatVereeniging itwasnoticedthat theoverflowofsludgeandfilterwatergaverisetofissuresintheground.Waterseepeduptothegroundsurface.82Later,problemswerealsoexperiencedwithsludgeoverloadinthePlantationshaftoftheCornelia Mine on the Free State side. This came from the Zuikerbosch pumpingstation.ThesludgethenhadtoberedirectedtotheBettyShaftviatheVereenigingpumpingstation.83Theproblemwasthatwiththeincreaseinthedemandforwatertherewasanatural increase insludgedisposal.By1980a totalof14800 tons (38percent)ofthesolids inthewaterwasremoved inthesedimentationsystem.84 In1982, for example, the chief engineer explained that the average daily output of550Mlpotablewateroverthenextfiveyears,couldleadto2,25Mlofsludgebeingdepositedeachday.85

Oneofthewaysofdisposingofsludgewasbymeansofpondsanddams.Thiswas,however anexpensiveundertaking.Moreover itwaspointedout that the landonwhichsludgelakeswereformedcouldnotsummarilybeusedafterwards.Ithadtobetreated.Lagooningwasconsequentlyunacceptableasalong‐termsolutiontotheproblem.86Another solution,which theengineers thoughtmightbe viablewas forthesludgetobethickenedandthendriedout.Itcouldthenbeusedafterwardsasagricultural lime,anacidicwasterneutraliserandforsoilstabilisation.Researchonthe potential of this idea began in the second half of 1982.87 Early in 1983 thedewateringoftheCorneliaMineinthevicinityoftheBettyShaftwasstarted.88

IntheshorttermtheplanswerenotasuccessandinSeptember1984acommercialwastedisposalcompanywashiredforaperiodofsixmonthstotransportdewateredsludge toa landfill siteatacostofR15400permonth.89Then, inMarch1985 theAngloAmericanCoalCorporationLtdgavepermissionforthesludgetoonceagainbedisposedofinpartsoftheCorneliamine,whichhadmeanwhilechangeditsname

82. RWA, Minutes 1982–3, p. 135. 1001st ordinary meeting, headquarters,

Johannesburg,1982.07.30.Chiefengineer’sreportno.6708.L.H.James.


84. RWA, 75th annual report, balance sheet and accounts of the RandWater Board.Financialyearto31stMarch1980,p.7.




88. RWA, Minutes 1982‐3, p. 613. 1008e gewone vergadering, hoofkwartier,Johannesburg,1983.02.25.Hoofingenieurseverslag,nr.6843.L.H.James.

89. RWA, Minutes 1984‐5, p. 295. 1027th ordinary meeting, headquarters,Johannesburg,1984.09.28.Chiefengineer’sreportno.7244.L.H.James.

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totheNewVaalCoalMine,followingtherenewedminingoperations.90InApril1988theproblemreachedcrisisproportions.Itwasreportedthatthesludgewasseepinginto the Barrage reservoir. The engineers had meanwhile started a mechanicalthickening of the sludge as well as dewatering the sludge. By August 1988 theseepagewasevidentoveranareaextending80metresintotheBarrage.Itcoveredasurface area of about 120000 m3. About 30 per cent of the seepage was solidmaterial.Thishinderedtheflowoftheriverandwashazardoustowaterusers.91

The only suitablemeans of treatmentwas to dredge and pump thematerial intopondswherethesolidswerethendewateredbynaturaldrainageandevaporation.Itthenhadtobestabilisedbyaddingboilerashorothersuitablematerial,compactedandcoveredwithsoiltopermitthere‐establishmentofnaturalvegetation.Inorderto do this it was necessary to acquire a suitable site. The operation wascomprehensive.Theslurrywastobepumpedoveradistanceoftwokilometrestothe farmRietfontein 152on the Free State sideof the river. The sludgewas thendewatered, stabilised and compacted. The surface was also reinstated on thedisposalsite.IntotaltheoperationwastocosttheboardR3million.92

InJanuary1989theissueofsludgedisposalenteredthepoliticalarenawhenthereweredeliberationsbetweentheboard,theministryofenvironmentalaffairsandtheformerVereenigingTownCouncil.Therehadbeennegativereportsinthemediaonthesludgedisposal.Consequently,planstodisposeofthesludge intheSpringfieldCollieriesmineshafts did notmaterialise. Themunicipality and property owners inthe area were concerned that the pH balance of the water released below thesurfacecouldnotbecontrolled.93Whatmademattersworsewasthattheboardonlyhad until December 1989 to use the New Vaal Collieries site to dump the sludgefromZuikerbosch.MrVincentBath,thegeneralmanagerofRandWater,explainedthat negotiations had taken place between the board’s officials, Eskom and NewVaalCollierywiththeobjectiveofestablishingacentralsludgedewateringplantatacostofR135million.TheplanwastomixpulverisedsludgewithfuelashatLethabo.Engineerswerecurrentlyinvestigatingtheviabilityofthescheme.Eskomsuggestedthatthesludgecouldperhapsbedammedupontheashdumps.However,thatwasonlypossibleoncelargesuppliesofashdumpshadcomeavailable.94

When it appeared as if therewas a virtual impasse, themining company Amcoalofferedasolution–theywerepreparedtoselltheboardanareaoflandabout610

90. RWA, Minutes 1984‐5, p. 498. 1032e gewone vergadering, hoofkwartier,

Johannesburg,1984.03.01.Adjunk‐hoofingenieursverslagnr7331.A.B.Hartwig.

91. RW, Committee of the whole board, meeting 1988.08.25, p. 77. Report GeneralManagerA.J.deWitt.

92. RW, Committee of the whole board, meeting 1988.08.25, p. 77. Report GeneralManagerA.J.deWitt.

93. RW, Committee of the whole board, meeting 1989.01.26, p. 136. InformationVincentBath,GeneralManager.

94. RW, Committee of the whole board, meeting 1989.01.26, p. 136. InformationVincentBath,GeneralManager.

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ha,situatedaboutthreekilometrestothesouthoftheZuikerboschpumpingstation.The site was suitable to accommodate sludge for a period of 15 to 20 years.95Moreover, itwasalsosuitabletohandlethesludgefromtheVereenigingpumpingstation. What made the proposal even more attractive at the time was that thewholeprojectwas tocostamereR150000.96However, someboardmembersstillthoughttheideaofusingtheSpringfieldmineshouldnotbeshelved.BoardmemberJFOberholzer,wasoftheopinionthatitwaspossiblefortheboardtopurchasetheentire siteandalsoadjoining land from local landowners.Afteranumberofyearsthe land could then be rented out.97 The management indicated that the mattershouldbepursuedbut it after further researchhadbeencarriedoutanda reportsubmittedtotheboard,theplanswereeventuallyshelved.98

InMarch1989newplansweretabledbeforetheboard.Nowthe intentionwastodevelopasludgedisposalsiteforthepumpstationsofVereenigingandZuikerboschatacostofR36million.The610hapropertyofPanfonteinonwhichtheworkswastobedeveloped,wasvaluedatR800000.99Earlier, inAugust1988 the sludgehadsiphoned through to the Barrage and a major cleaning operation had to beconducted because the sludge,which formed amassive, hard bank, tended to bedangeroustoboatsonthewater.Thesolidsthushadtobedredgedfromtheriverand stored. By April 1990 the work was basically completed at a total cost ofR3,16million.100 It was an extremely costly exercise for Rand Water, from whichmanyalessoncanbelearnt.

In themid1990sRandWateronceagainmadeuseofdredging technologyat theZuikerbosch Water purification works. A sand bank in the river was removed.CurrentlyplansareinthepipelinetodredgepartoftheriverabovetheLethaboweirtomakeaccesstoremovesiltbehindtheLethaboweirthataffectsthewaterintakeofRandWater’sZuikerboschplant.101

CurrentopinionsondredgingintheVaalRiverBarrage

In order to forman impressionof how the informedpublic felt about dredging, anumber of individuals were asked for their opinions in a snap qualitative survey.Primarily two areas, according tomembers of JTI, require urgent attention. Theseare: the mouth of the Klip River flowing into the Vaal at Vereeniging; and theRietspruitfromBoulderBayinLochVaaltothefirstupstreamweir.

95. RW, Committee of the whole board, meeting 1989.01.26, p. 136. Information

VincentBath,GeneralManager.

96. RW,Committeeofthewholeboard,meeting1989.01.26,p.137.

97. RW,Committeeofthewholeboard,meeting1989.01.26,p.137.

98. RW,Committeeofthewholeboard,meeting1989.07.27,p.45;RW,Committeeofthewholeboard,meeting1989.09.28,pp.72‐3.ReportV.J.Bath.

99. RW,Committeeofthewholeboard,meeting1989.03.30,p.155.ReportV.J.Bath.

100. RW,Committeeofthewholeboard,meeting1991.05.30,pp.12‐4.ReportV.J.Bath:Engineeringdivision.

101. Emailcorrespondence:FvanWyk,RandWater–JWNTempelhoff,2009.01.02.

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MrMike Friedman, a businessmanwithwide experienceof power boating on theVaalRiverBarrageoveraperiodoffourdecades,isoftheopinionthatdredgingthemouth of the Klip River at Vereeniging is a viable undertaking. In recent times anumberofpropellersofboatshavebeendamagedasa resultof siltdepositsat adepthoflessthan500mmbelowthewatersurface.102InMarch2009aredflagwasplacedinonesectionoftheKlipRivermouthtowarnboatpilots.Itisamootpointwhetherthis isanappropriatesafetymeasuretopreventfurtherboatbreakdownsontheVaalRiverBarrage.103

MrPaulSmit(42)anavidbassfishermanwithextensiveknowledgeoftheVaalRiverBarrage,isoftheopinionthatitisquintessentialtohavetheKlipRiverdredged.Hefelt that Itwouldprobably silt up completely very soon if stepswerenot taken intime.104ThepreviousremedyforthisunfortunatesituationwastoannuallyflushtheBarragesystemintimesofflood.SincetheliftingoftheVaalDamwallinthe1980sandattemptsatamoreefficientformofmanagedflushing,theeffectiveflowoftherivertoremovetheaccumulatedsedimentsintheBarrage,andtoalesserextenttheLochVaalarea, isnolongerfeasible.105Asaresultoftheconstantlyincreasinghighwater demand in the Gauteng region, and areas of four neighbouring provincesprovidedwithbulksuppliesfromRandWater,106theVaalDam’swatersupplyhastobeusedsparingly.107MrLouwRiekert,securitychiefattheVereenigingGolfClub,isof the opinion that dredging the mouth of the Klip River is the only sustainablesolutioninanareawherethepublicfrequentlycomeincloseproximityoftheVaalRiverBarrage.108

AsfarastheLochVaalareaisconcerned,anadvancedphaseofslow‐onsetdisasterbecameevidentthereinDecember2008.Twopeoplewhoarefamiliarwiththelocalenvironment were asked for their views. Mr AC Avent, a former managementcommitteememberof theVaalRiverPropertyOwnersAssociationandownerofapropertyonthebanksofLochVaalsincethe1960s,said:

Ithinkdredgingis,asfarastheriverisconcerned,necessaryasaresultofthecollapseofthebanks.ThisexacerbatestheflowofwaterintheRietspruit,whichnormallyisverystrong as a result of good distribution and water discharge from the mines in thewesternregion.NowtheflowisbeingrestrictedduetotheRietspruitbeingusedasa

102. TOA OI20090102 MH Friedman (50) Marina Riviera at the Riviera Hotel,

Vereeniging,2009.01.02.

103. Photographicevidenceavailablefrom:JWNTempelhoff2009.03.08.

104. TOAOI20090102PPSmit(42),SundayStreetThreeRivers,Vereeniging,2009.01.02.

105. TOAOI20090102PPSmit(42),SundayStreetThreeRivers,Vereeniging,2009.01.02.

106. See JWN Tempelhoff, The substance of ubiquity: Rand Water 1903–2003, (KleioPublishers,Vanderbijlpark2003).

107. DisclosureofMrFCilliers,(41)atameetingoftheJTIndustriesprojectmanagementteam,Vanderbijlpark,2009.01.04.

108. PersonaldisclosureMrLouwRiekert,VereenigingGolfClub,sitevisit,2008.12.24.

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dumpinggroundforwastedisposal,sewageandrubbish.ForthatreasonIwouldbeinfavourofdredging.ItisessentialtorestoretheflowoftheRietspruit.109

ThomasduToit,managementmemberofSAVE,saidoftheplan:

The dredging is essential. Sewer sediment is unnatural in a river. If we allow sewersedimentintheLoch,itisthesameashavingsewageinyourcoffee.110

From these comments and observations, it is evident that there is considerablesupport for dredging interventions in the Vaal River Barrage. It must be borne inmindthatmanyoftheopinionsexpressedonthematterarecloselyrelatedtotheconcernsofcivilsocietyintheVaalRiverBarrageregion.Allandsundrywereoftheopinion that the river had been left to deteriorate over a considerable period oftime.Mostattemptstosolveaconditionthatispresentingagrowingenvironmentalthreatareseenasacceptable.

ViewsofMrPaulPotgieter

Mr Paul Potgieter is a specialist in dredging, was employed by JTI to help findsolutionstotheproblemsexperiencedintheclean‐upattheRietspruit intheLochVaalsectionoftheBarragereservoir.111Inareporttotheprojectmanagementteam,aswellasanoralinterview,PotgieteroutlinedhisapproachtotheissueofremovingsedimentintheLochVaal.

He submitted a sketch, mapping out the area and the nature of silting in theRietspruitandLocharea.

109. TOAOI20090102ACAvent(71),Miravaal,2009.01.02.

110. Personal telephonic disclosure Thomas du Toit, SAVE management member,2008.0104.

111. Personaldisclosure inameetingwithMessrsGTerblancheandFCilliers,Miravaal,2009.01.03.

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Figure7Profiledsketchof theRietspruitandLochVaalarea inwhichsedimentdepositshaveformedasaresultofeffluent112

Heexplainedhisstandpointasfollows:

As a consequence of the [thick layer of sediment], it has now become necessary toconsider maintenance dredging, or sediment removal … The critical state of theRietspruit and Sebokeng wastewater treatment works over the past decade wasresponsible for a slow‐onset disaster in theVaal River Barrage catchment. A TLB andexcavator…[willbethe]actualmachineofuse.Thishastheeffectthat90percentofmaterialsisextractedand10percentofwater.Wherematerialsarecompactedinsituthemainobjective is to remove thatmaterialwithas littledisturbanceaspossible tothe water source. The chances of fish or otters being affected by operations of thisnatureareminimal.Mechanicalremovalisproposed,ifandwhenthetestsrequireit.113

Inhisreporthepointedoutthattheworkdoneuptothatpointincludedtheuseofglobal positioning satellite (GPS) technology to demarcate the terrain; themeasurementsofwaterdepthtothesedimentlevel;depthoftheriverbottom;andonelettersedimentsamplestakeninthetop1mofsediment.114

HeexplainedthatthesampleshadbeentakeninconjunctionwithqualifiedstaffofMessrs Waterlab, a SANAS‐accredited independent commercial laboratory. Thesamples need to be analysed for macro‐chemical constituents, heavy metals and

112. JTIIndustriesFiles:PPotgieter,ClayDisposalCC.Report:VaalRivercleaningproject

–preliminaryreport,Rietspruitareaonly,2009.01.04.Sketch.

113. Disclosure in oral interview andmeeting, 20 Sibelius Street, SW5, Vanderbijlpark,2009.01.04.

114. JTIIndustriesFiles:PPotgieter,ClayDisposalCC.Report:VaalRivercleaningproject–preliminaryreport,Rietspruitareaonly,2009.01.04.

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micro‐biologicalcontamination.115Potgieteralsostressedthatitmightbenecessaryfor some of the tests to be repeated because the laboratories had been closedduringthefestiveperiod(25Decemberto1January).However,theissuewastobetakenupwithWaterlab, todetermine if a time‐lapse could significantly affect thesamplessubmittedfortesting.116

Between 23 December 2008 and 4 January 2009, the matter was frequentlydiscussed inmeetings betweenmembers of the JTI projectmanagement team, towhichtheauthorwasprivy.Theprojectmanagersalsodiscussed itatgreat lengthonsite,withmembersoftheseniormanagementofEmfuleniLocalMunicipality.Atnostageinthedeliberationswereanyirresponsiblemeasuresmentioned.Therewasalwaysanawarenessofthenecessarylegalrequirementsbeforeanysedimentcouldbe removed from aquatic environments in South Africa. The members of themanagement team constantly stressed that it was essential to bear in mind thatworkhadtobeconductedinaresponsiblemannerandgearedtowardsasustainableVaalRiverBarrageenvironment.

Giventhefactthatahuman‐inducedspillagewasresponsiblefortheflowofeffluentinto the Vaal River Barrage, and particularly in Rietspruit, it is suggested that adecisionbereachedonthematteringoodtime.ItmustbeborneinmindthattheVaal River Barrage, as is the case alsowith its subsidiary, the LochVaal, currentlyformspartofacontrolledwaterway.Thishasbeenthecasesince1923whentheBarrage was taken into use. In view of this, dredging interventions should beconsideredfromtheperspectivethattheVaalRiverBarrageisapartoftheriverinwhich the anthropogenic stamp has been particularly prominent. Any decision ontheviabilityofdredgingshouldtakethismatterintoconsideration.

On5 January2009ameetingwasheldatMetsi‐a‐Lekoa’soffices inVanderbijlparkwhere the issue of dredging parts of the Vaal River Barragewasmooted.117 RandWater’s Peter Hoge and Emfuleni Local Municipality’s management were not infavourofdredging. Itwasarguedthattherivershouldbegiventheopportunitytocleanitself.Floodingfromupstreamwasseenastheidealsolution.

Using plants to purify contaminated water: reeds, hyacinth and the hay baleproject

TheJTImanagementteamdiscussedanumberofstrategiestoaddresstheissueofpollution in the Vaal River Barrage.118 Using plant material as an effective watertreatmentprocessisnowcommonpracticeinanumberoffirstworldcountries.The

115. JTIIndustriesFiles:PPotgieter,ClayDisposalCC.Report:VaalRivercleaningproject

–preliminaryreport,Rietspruitareaonly,2009.01.04.

116. JTIIndustriesFiles:PPotgieter,ClayDisposalCC.Report:VaalRivercleaningproject–preliminaryreport,Rietspruitareaonly,2009.01.04.

117. Considerations on removing sediment in the Vaal River Barrage at the Klip RivermouthandintheRietspruit,atLochVaal,Vanderbijlpark,2009.0105.

118. Information:MessrsPaulPotgieter,ACAventandGTerblanche,23–29December2008.

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plantbestsuitedforthisisthehyacinth,whichhasanincrediblegrowthrateandisabletoextractheavymetalssulphatesandnutrientsfromthewaterintotheplant’sstructure.Theseplantsarethendeliberatelyharvestedandputthroughaprocesstoremove unwanted elements such as heavy metals, sulphates and nutrients. Thisenables operators to recover these substances for commercial purposes. Theremaining parts of the product are then used for animal feed. To overcome theinvasive nature of the hyacinth they are being genetically modified at present toavoidtheiruncontrolledpropagation.

Many plant types have the ability to absorb undesirable elements. In our annualbotaniccycleplantsgenerallygrowinthesummeranddieinwinter,andareburnt.Wehavegrowthinsummer,deathinwinter,followedbyburningorrotting.Inthisway the chemical load re‐enters the water on a spike‐basis, which negates thepurification objective. In the case of the reeds in the Rietspruit, what we havedescribedwouldtypicallyoccuruntilsomeonestrikesamatch.Thereedmaterialisburntandthechemicalloaddepositedintheformofash,whichisthenback‐flushedbythefirstfloodconditions,causingachemicalspikeforthatperiod.

One of the strategies employed in December 2008 to address the issue of algalbloomsintheLochVaalareawastheintroductionoffloatingsteelframeswithbalesofhay.TheJTIteamhadspottedtheideaonaRandWaterwebsiteanddecidedtoput it tothetest inaneffort toreducethealgalbloomintheVaalRiverBarrage’sLochVaal.119Oneof theproponentsof themethod isMrCollinAvent,aLochVaalpropertyownerofmanyyearsstanding.Asachemicalengineerwithakeeninterestintheenvironment,aswellasaprofessionalcommitmentinhiscapacityasaformermember of the technical consultancy group responsible for makingrecommendations on improving the Upper Vaal River catchment, Mr AventparticipatedintalksaimedatintroducingtheahaybaleprojectintheLochVaal.

In 1992 a number of institutional stakeholders held a conference at theAllemanskraalDam.ABritishscientist,JohnSeegerwasoneofthekeynotespeakers.Seeger,whohadsomeexperienceofworkinginbothIndiaandtheUnitedKingdom,was acutely aware of the problems posed by the lack of infrastructure and thegrowing pressure on the water resources of South Africa. He recommended,amongst other things, that attention be given to the introduction of a ‘barleyproject’.Usingbarleyasaninhibitorofalgalgrowthwasfashionableatthetime.120In more recent years there has been a growing interest in the use of naturalmethods to combat algae, although barley is still recognised as a suitable natural‘weedkiller’ofcertaintypesofalgae.121Itisalsorecognisedthatbarleystrawdoes

119. PersonaldisclosureMessrsGerhardTerblancheandFCelliers,2008.12.23.

120. SeeMTGibson,IMWelch,PRFBarrettandIRidge,“BarleystrawasaninhibitorofalgalgrowthII:laboratorystudies”inJournalofAppliedPhycology,2,1990,pp.241–248.

121. ODukje,FEDayan,AMRimando,KKSchrader,GAliotta,AOliva,andJGRomagni,“Chemicalsfromnatureforweedmanagement”inWeedScience,50(2)March–April2002,pp.138–151.

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notkillalgaealreadypresent in thewater– itmerelyprevents thegrowthofnewalgalcells.122

Thebarleyprojectwasfirstdevelopedasaresultofbarleyaccidently falling intoafarmer’spondinGloucestershireintheUKinthelate1970s.Thefarmerreportedtoresearchersat theNationalResearchAuthority inBristol thatnoalgaegrowthhadoccurred inhispond that summer. Subsequently,barleyprojectswereestablishedthroughouttheUnitedKingdomandAustraliawithsuccess.123

At thetimeRandWater indicatedthat itwas interested inexperimentingwiththebarleyandaprojectwasstartedundertheleadershipofDrChrisViljoen,achemistatthewaterutility.124InApril1994,accordingtoRandWater’sPeterHoge,18003,5kgsacksand100balesofhaywerestrategicallyplacedinvariousplacesto‘ridthelargelystagnantwaterintheLochofunsightlyandfoul‐smellingalgalmasses’.125Thisprovedhighlysuccessful.AftereightyearsRandWatercancelledtheproject.LocalresidentsatLochVaalthentriedgrassasanadditive.Cuttingsfromlawnswereusedandprovedtobemorethan50percentassuccessfulasbales.126

The JTIhaybaleprojectbeganon16December. Someof theold steel cages, firstusedalmostadecadeearlier,hadrustedandhadtoberepaired.TheJTIteammadea number of innovative adjustments, such as replacing the old steel straps withnylonropestiedtotheframeworkofthecages.Theyalsogaveconsiderationtoanimprovedcagedesignshouldtheprojectbecontinued.

Thehaybaleprojectappearedtoenjoyconsiderablesupportfromthepublic.Theyreactedpositivelybysayingthatthealgalbloomstendedtodiminishwiththebalesinthewater.TheextenttowhichthiswasapparentintheLoch(atthetimeseverelypollutedwithalgaeblooms),wasanopendebate.Thehaybaleprojectcertainlydidcontributetoreducingalgaebloomingbuttheeffectwasperhapslargelyapsycho‐socialone.Thepublic,especiallylocalpropertyownersintheLochVaalregion,wereencouragedwhentheynoticedthatsomethingwasbeingdonetoaddressthelocalpollution problem. The initiative taken to make use of certain interventions, metwithconsiderablesupportfromthepublic.Shouldsimilarstrategiesbeemployedinfuture,aspartofanintegratedmanagementstrategyofthereservoir,itwouldbeagood way of building up collaborative partnerships with civil society to addresssewagespills.

122. MD Ferrier, BR Butler Sr, DE Terlizzi and RV Lavouture, “The effects of straw

(Hordeumvulgare)onthegrowthoffreshwateralgae”inBiosourceTechnology,96,2005,pp.1788–1795.

123. TOA,Interview:ArthurCollinAvent(77),61Miravaal,LochVaal,2009.0102.


125. DocumentationCollinAvent:CopyofRandWaterMemorandum450?R:PHoge–BGericke,“ProjectBarleyProgressreport”,1995.04.13.


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Figure8Adredgingplatformwitha front‐end loaderwasusedto takehaybalesoutonLochVaalandtipthemintoholdingcages127

Strategicplanning

Throughout December, themanagement of the clean‐up operation held frequentmeetings. Apart from discussing operational issues, attention was also given tobrainstorming some ideas that came up in discussions. A few of these ideas arediscussedinthesectionbelow.

i Formulatingasetofguidelinesforclean‐upoperations

GerhardTerblanchewasconvincedthattherewasaneedforasetofguidelinesonexactlyhowthefish‐killclean‐upoperationshouldbeconducted.Forallconcernedthiswasanewapproach.Frequentlyplanswerediscussedonhowoperationswouldbeconductediftheyhadtoberepeated.Thiswasparticularlyevidentinrespectoftakingsamplesofwaterforcomprehensive laboratorytests.A latestartwasmadewithintakingsamplesfromtheriver.Circumstantialevidencesuggeststhatthefirstsampleswereonlytakenfromtheriveron11December–aweekafterthecleaningteambegan the project.128 Itwas also only later realised that benchmark sampleshad to be taken upstream in the tributaries of rivers flowing into the Vaal RiverBarrage.129Thismatterwaslaterrectified.

127. Photograph:RvanderWalt,JTIndustries2008.12.24.


129. PersonaldisclosureGerhardTerblanche,2008.12.29.(Morningbriefing).

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ii Samplingprocedures

Whentheoperationsbegantherewasanawarenessthat itwouldbenecessarytotake water samples to determine where the pollution had originated and howwidespread it was in the Vaal River Barrage. Systematic sampling started on 11December.WhenitbecameclearthatbenchmarksampleshadtobetakenupstreaminriversflowingintotheBarrage,thistoowasbegun.

WhenPaulPotgieterjoinedthegroupanumberofmeetingswereheldonsampling.EventuallyitwasalsoagreedtotakesedimentsamplesintheLochVaal.Theselaterprovedtobeofvaluetodeterminetheextentofsewagepollutionthere.MsRenéPotgieter, who joined the team as an adviser, conducted a thorough survey ofsamplingproceduresandmadeanumberofrecommendationstotheteam.

iii Locatingpollutionhotspots

From the outset the objective was to determine the origin of potential pollutionevents.Themunicipalityrequiredofthecleaningteamtoidentifyculprits.130On29December2008theJTIteamwereinformedofanoutletfromSasolthatwassaidtoreleasetoxicphenolsubstancesintothewaterbelowtheBarrage.131Watersampleswere taken. On 30 December the first formal report was submitted to theheadquartersofsewagepollutiononariverproperty.Ataskteamwasthensenttoinvestigateandcleanupthesite.132OtherinvestigationswereconductedintheVaalRiver Barrage, as well as below the Barrage, to take note of what investigatorsconsidered to be pollution caused by industrial effluent. Relevant material wassubmittedtoEmfuleniLocalMunicipality.Anon‐siteinspectionwasalsoconductedin Sasolburg after 5 January,when JTIwere informedof awater spill close to theSasolburgindustrialarea.

iv Whistleblowinginformation

InameetingbetweenThomasduToitandGerhardTerblancheon27Decemberthepotential was discussed of establishing a website with a call number for whistleblowersinindustryandsocietyatlarge,whowantedtoreportonspillagesintotheVaalRiverBarrage.133JTImeanwhilepurchasedaboatwiththeobjectiveofactingasa proactive agent to locate potential pollution spills in the Vaal River Barrage. Awebsite was registered,134 with a dedicated email address,135 emergency call

130. ETempelhoff,“Kontrakteurshaal15tondooievisuitVaalrivier:rioolafvalstimuleer

rieteomtegroeienmetaangasborreluitwater”inBeeld,2008.12.30,p.6.


132. JTI Report CF Germishuys, Risk assessment, Plot 42, Zuurfontein, Emeral Isle,2008.12.30.

133. PersonaldisclosureGerhardTerblanche,2008.12.28.

134. http://www.pollutioncontrol.co.za/

135. [email protected]

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number,136 and fax connection,137 to deal with inquiries and the dissemination ofinformationbetweenwaterusersandtheauthorities.138

Theteamalsoexperiencedfirst‐handhowfrustratingitwastofollowuponwhistle‐blowing information. In the course of December they received information on aSASOLpipelinethatdischargesbelowtheVaalRiverBarrage.Ananonymouswhistleblower maintained that dangerous effluents passed through this pipeline,contaminating the river below the Barrage. Investigators from JTI followedup thematterandfoundthattheeffluentdidnotposeadanger.139On14January2009JTIndustries followeduponanotherwhistleblower’sallegation thata contaminateddam in the Sasolburg area was releasing vast quantities of toxic water that wasallowedto freely run intoaspruit leadingto theVaalRiverBarrage.140At thetimerumourswererifeinSasolburgandthetownshipofVaalParkthatthelocaldrinkingwater was ‘contaminated with E. coli’.141 On 20 January Carl Scholtz, a seniorenvironmental engineering expert from SASOL held a meeting with JTI executivemanagementandexplainedthatanewdamhadoverflowedatoneofSASOL’snewconstructions sites. Itwasnotachemicaldam. Itwasanaturalwater feature thatposedno threatwhatsoever to the environment. In respect of theE. coli rumour,Scholtz explained that the E. coli in SASOL’s water supply, used for producingpetroleum,werehigherthantheirpermissiblenorm.Employeesweretheninformednottoconsumewateruntilfurthernotice.142

Whistleblowinginformationconstantlyhastobecheckedagainstscientificandlegalguidelines. This takes time. More often than not the evidence has to be verifiedunder exceptional circumstances and by special means. This being so, JTI’smanagement has begun devising comprehensive strategies to create an enablingenvironmentforinvestigationbasedoninformationfromwhistleblowers.

v BoatingandsafetyontheVaalRiverBarrage

There has, in recent years, been a marked increase in the number of boatingaccidentson theVaalRiverBarrage.Until thenew legal framework for freshwaterandinlandboatingcameintoeffectinMarch2009,manyaccidentsontheriverhadoccurredwithoutbeingreported.Accordingtoalocalresidentofmanyyearsontheriver bank, asmany as 30 serious accidents occurred annually.143 In recent years

136. 0781370989

137. 0866743112


139. EmaildisclosureGTerblanche–JWNTempelhoff,2009.04.13.

140. PhotographicevidencecollectedbyJWNTempelhoff,2009.01.14forJTIndustries.

141. E Tempelhoff, “SMSe wat oor water waarsku, kom dalk van hier af” in Beeld,2009.01.14 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2009/01/14/B1/6/etwater.html (Accessed2009.04.18).

142. PersonaldisclosureMrGTerblanche,Meyerton,2009.04.18.

143. TOAOI20090102ACAvent(71),Miravaal,2009.01.02.

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accidents of this nature have become more common. In October 2008 Ms KellyDuvenhage (20) was killed in a boating accident, on the Vaal River Barrage.144 InFebruary 2009 award‐winning Paralympics athlete, Oscar Pretorius (22) was alsoinvolved in aboating accidenton theVaalRiverBarrage.He laterhad toundergosurgery.145

On 27 December 2008, at the time of the fish‐kill clean‐up operation, a localmusician,CamiloMoreira(49),waskilledandtwopeopleinjuredwhenaspeedboatcollided with a barge in which Moreiro and some friends were partying in LochVaal.146Members of the South African Police Service,who had been active in theclean‐upteam,spentadayscubadivingtolocatethebody,butwereunsuccessful.Itlatersurfaced.

According to Chris Aucamp, an official of the Emfuleni Local Municipality’semergencyservices,heandsomeofhiscolleagueshadrequestedmanagement tosetupapermanentbaseat theVaalRiverBarrage.147 Emergency servicesworkerswhowerepartoftheclean‐upoperationsaidthat if theycouldreachthesiteofariveraccidentquicklytheywouldbebetterabletopreventfatalities.Thiscouldbeapro‐activemeasure.MembersoftheJTIndustriesmanagementteamalsodiscussedthematterandtherewasconsensus thatapatrolboatandrapid responsestationclose to the riverwould contribute toa reduction in fatalities. In somequarters itwasevenmentionedthatalightpatrolhelicopterwouldmakeresponsetimetoanaccident on the water even faster. A rescue station would ideally need to beoperational for24hoursover theweekendswhenmanyboaterswereontheVaalRiverBarrage.

Prof. Dewald van Niekerk, director of the African Centre for Disaster Studies atNorth‐West University’s Potchefstroom campus also investigated the matter ofsafety in discussions with the Disaster Management staff at Sedibeng DistrictMunicipality in Heidelberg. The indications are that accidents on the Vaal RiverBarrage could be more effectively managed if the respective emergency sectorswereabletocoordinatetheiractivities.(SeeAddendum01)

144. S vanBuul, “OngelukopVaal:mankry te seeromoor syvrou tepraat” inBeeld,

2008.10.14 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/10/15/B1/6/svbverdrink2.html(Accessed2009.04.12)

145. S van Buul, “Bootongeluk: klag kom dalk teen Oscar” in Beeld, 2009.02.24 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2009/02/24/B1/1/oscarVOOR.html(Accessed2009.04.12).

146. Sapa, “One missing, three hurt in boat accident” in IOL, 2008.12.28 athttp://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=13&art_id=nw20081228115823962C917727 (Accessed 2008.12.29); E Tempelhoff, “Musikant verdrink in Vaal nákragboot sy vlot tref” in Beeld, 2008.12.29 athttp://152.111.1.88/argief/berigte/beeld/2008/12/29/B1/1/etmoreira.html(Accessed2009.04.12).

147. InformaldisclosureCAucamp,KaalplaatsBaseCamp,2008.12.26.

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vi Publicawarenessandcommunication

Media reports, as of 5 December, on the cleaning up operations providedinformation to the public on the legal procedures pursued by SAVE in theJohannesburg High Court. Emfuleni Local Municipality, it appears, had nocoordinated media communications infrastructure in operation at the time. Thisplaced the local authority at a disadvantage. On 23 December the matter wasdiscussed with Mr Gerhard Terblanche. JT Industries later appointed an internalcommunications spokesperson, but no activemeasureswere taken tomarket theavailableinformationbecausetheclean‐upoperationwasnearingitsend.However,at severalmeetings of themanagement team, thematter of communication wasdiscussed.Someofthepointsofrelevancearehighlightedbelow.

1. Agreaterpublicawarenessontheimminentdangerstohumanhealthonthewater in theVaalRiverBarragehas tobegivenpriority.PaulPotgietersuggeststhatnoticesbeplacedatstrategicpointsalongtheVaal River Barrage to inform the public of the imminent danger ofusingthewaterforleisureactivities,suchasswimming,jetskiingandordinaryskiing.Itwasdecidedthatthiswasamatterfortheattentionofthelocalauthority.

2. Acoordinatedmediacommunicationsprogrammeshouldbesetuptoinform themedia (on a daily basis) of the progress of the clean‐upoperation. It was decided that this was also a matter for the localauthority.

3. Atelephonenumbershouldbeprovidedformembersofthepublictopassoninformationonpotentialpollutionhotspots.Itwasdecidedtocreateawebsitewherearegisteredtelephonenumberisprovided.Ina media report of 30 December 2008, the telephone number ofThomasduToitofSAVE(0824196526)wasreleased.148Inthecourseofthedayhereceivednumerouscalls.NotallhadadirectbearingontheVaalRiverBarrage.149

4. A SAVE representative, Thomas du Toit, used a private vessel onSunday 28 December tomake the public on the river aware of thedanger of using the water for swimming and skiing. The boatdisplayed environmental posters and a SAVE banner. There was agood public response. In parts of the Vaal River Barrage where hepassed members of the public he was cheered for the work beingdonebySAVE.150

148. ETempelhoff,“Kontrakteurshaal15tondooievisuitVaalrivier:rioolafvalstimuleer

rieteomtegroeienmetaangasborreluitwater”inBeeld,2008.12.30,p.6.

149. Personaldisclosure,ThomasduToit(SAVE),2008.12.30.

150. Personaldisclosure,ThomasduToit(SAVE),2008.12.30.

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Theaftermathoftheclean‐upoperation

Despite the fact that a substantial amount of work was done on the Vaal RiverBarrage at the time of the clean‐up operation in November–December 2008, theoutcomesoftheseactivities,consideredretrospectively,werenotveryconstructive.EmfuleniLocalMunicipalitywassubjectedto legalprosecutiononthreeoccasions.Eachtimecostlylegalmeasureswereused,attheexpenseoftaxpayers,toaddressamatterthatcouldhavebeenpreventedifappropriateintegratedwatermanagementstrategieshadbeenpursuedbytherelevantstakeholders.On21January2009whenSAVE reportedback to thepublicon theactivitiesof theChristmasandNewYearholidays,thefaecalcoliformcountatRietspruitwasstill18000per100ml.ThatofLeeuwkuil,nearSharpeville, stoodat33000per100ml.151 Thesecountswerewellabovetheacceptedstandards–evenontheVaalRiverBarrage.AtthemeetingMrCecil Schreuder, director of water and sanitation at Emfuleni Local Municipalityexplained that the problems at thewastewater treatment plants in the Rietspruitwere far from over. The Sebokeng wastewater treatment works, a massive plantservingthesouthernpartsofmetropolitanJohannesburgandsouthernGautengwasrunningat130percentovercapacity.Muchof thatwastewaterwasredirectedtotheRietspruitwastewatertreatmentplant.Rietspruithadanumberofproblemsofitsowntocontendwith,Schreuderexplained.Inthespaceoftwoyearsnolessthanfive different contracting firms had been responsible for the upgrade of theRietspruitworks.But,saidSchreuder,thesecompanieswerepronetochangehandsrapidly.Thismeantthattherewasnocontinuityofexperiencedworkersonthesite,whichposedmanyproblemsforthemanagementoftheplant.152

AtameetingoftheSAVEexecutiveon1March2009themanagementoftheNGOtook note of the fact that a representative of SAVE had been prevented fromentering theRietspruitWastewater treatmentworks.153 Itwasevident thatallwasnotwellatRietspruit.Preparationswerethenmadeforafollow‐upmeetingwiththepublic on the state of the Vaal River Barrage. Meanwhile members of the SAVEmanagementcontinueddoingspotchecksandfieldworkofpotentialsewagespillsinthereservoir.

On1April SAVEonce againheld a publicmeeting thatwas attendedby about 50membersofthepublicandanumberofofficials.SAVEchairpersonLötterWepenerexpressed concernwith the stateof affairs.MrCecil Schreuderexplained that theRietspruitwasalmostinworkingcondition.Ithadbeendecommissionedforashortwhile,butwouldsoonbeoperationalagain.OfficialsofEmfuleniLocalMunicipalitywere questioned on sewage flows into the river from the Leeuwkuil wastewatertreatmentworksandtheDhlomoDam.SAVE’sThomasduToitqueriedstatementsmadebySchreudertotheeffectthatnosewagewasflowingintotheVaalRiverfromSharpeville.154Onepromisingdevelopmentappearedtobetheplansbeingmadeby

151. SAVE:MinutesofareportbackmeetingatLuciana,2009.01.12.

152. SAVE:MinutesofareportbackmeetingatLuciana,2009.01.12.

153. SAVE:MeetingoftheSAVEcommittee,LucianaLapa,2009.03.01.

154. Personalnotes,SAVEmeetingLuciana2009.04.01.

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Emfuleni LocalMunicipality to address the issue of increased sewage inflows.MrMartinvanVelen,aconsultingengineerwhosefirmhadbeencontractedbythelocalmunicipalitytofindsolutionstothesewageproblem,explainedthatproposalswerein the pipeline to build a large regional wastewater treatmentworks on the FreeStatesideoftheVaalRiver,belowtheBarrage,somedistancefromthefirsttollgateon theN1highway in theNorthern Free State. Thedevelopmentwas intended tosecure forsouthernGautengadailysewagecapacityof400Mlby2025.VanVelendidnotforeseethattheexistingwastewatertreatmentplantsunderthejurisdictionof Emfuleni Local Municipality would be decommissioned. The new plant wouldmerely enhance the overall capacity to properly process growing amounts ofsewage.Thenewsystemwouldrelyextensivelyongravitationaltechnologytosaveon energy costs over the long term. However, Van Velen said, the wastewatertreatmentpipelines inpartsofVereeniginghad tobeprocessed locally andunderpressure, in view of the fact that it was not possible to transfer loads of sewageagainstaheadtowastewatertreatmentworks.FortherestitwouldbepossibletopreventsewagespillsintheVaalRiverBarrage.VanVelenalsopointedoutthattheexisting plants would ultimately remain in use, but not be overloaded, as wascurrentlythecase.155

Then, over thenext coupleof days all hell broke loosebehind the scenes. First, anews report in theVanderbijlparkweeklyVaalweekbladallegedly implicated SAVEwith JT Industries anddifferencesof opinionbetweenMessrs Cecil Schreuder andGerhardtTerblanche.SAVE’sLötterWepenertookexceptiontothereport.Neitherhe, nor any member of the SAVE committee, had been properly informed orconsultedonthecontentofthereport.156Aspecialcourtorderwassecuredbetween6and8Aprilprohibitingthenewspaperfrompublishingthereport.EmfuleniLocalMunicipalitypromptly suspendedMrSchreuder fromhisposition. Finally, a fourthcourt order was issued in the Southern Gauteng division of the High Court inJohannesburg, in response to papers submitted by SAVE. Judge Tshiqi instructedEmfuleni Local Municipality to ensure, within the space of four months, that itconformed to thepermissible levelsof1000 faecal coliformper100ml in theVaalRiverBarrage.157SAVE’sLötterWepener,inamediareleaseindicatedthattheNGOwouldabidebytherulingandtakemattersfurtherintimetocome.

Someconclusions

Thefish‐killsofDecember2008intheVaalRiverBarragesparkedachainofeventsthathavebeenextremelycostlyintermsofworkinghoursusedtoaddressthecrisis.Apart frombeing financedby taxpayers’money, theculturalcapital thathadbeenaccumulatedoveraperiodofmanyyears,wasalsojeopardised.Culturalcapital, in

155. Personalnotes,SAVEmeetingLuciana2009.04.01.

156. Email correspondence: L Wepener ‐ R Fitchat, Vaalweekblad, 2009.04.06‐07; LWepener–JWNTempelhoff,2009.04.09.

157. Court order by Judge Tshiqi, South Gauteng High Court (Johannesburg). Case2009/14940, SAVE vs Emfuleni Local Municipality, Cecil Schreuder and W Moeti,2009.04.09.

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the context of Bourdieu’s theory, has comprehensive implications for the spiritualand material value of the activities conducted within a social space by humanbeings.158 Creativeworks of art (the architecture and artistic landscapes along theVaalRiverBarrage),andthehumanconductofactivitiesintheaquaticenvironmentoftheVaalRiverBarrage,allformpartofthisculturalcapital.Tojeopardiseculturalcapitalmayultimatelyleadtothedegradationofthequalityoflifeofhumansocietyinitsinteractionwiththeenvironment.

AtthispointintimethefutureoftheVaalRiverBarragehingesonthewillingnessofthe responsible governance structures to start giving substance to therecommendations made in DWAF’s IWQMP report on the Vaal River catchment,issuedinSeptember2008.159It’svalueshouldnotbeunderestimated.AccordingtoDeVilliers,amanagementplanofthiskindiscrucialfortheefficientmanagementofurban rivers.160 Indications are that plans are currently being made for theestablishmentofacatchmentmanagementagency(CMA),intermsoftheNationalWaterAct,No.36of1998.Aninstitutionalstructureofthisnaturecouldleadtothemoreeffectivemanagementof thewaterqualityof the riverbelowtheVaalDam.Gettingstakeholders,i.e.localauthorities,aswellasindustriestosubjectthemselvesto consensus governance through integrated water management strategies, alsodefinedbytheAct,couldbringanewleaseoflifetotheVaalRiverBarragereservoir.

It is essential that more attention be given to the holistic management of theRietspruit catchment, as a whole. One of the major problems is the Sebokengwastewatertreatmentworks.AlthoughRandWater’scatchmentmanager,FrancoisvanWyk,doesnotregarditasamajorproblem,indicationsarethataconsiderableamountof raw sewage spillages in theRietspruit come from the Sebokengworks.For example, in February2009, the sub‐catchment forumwas informed that asofOctober 2008 they were running without chlorine, as a result of a ‘procurementproblem’.161AccordingtoVanWykthesewagefromSebokengiscurrentlysomewhatrefined before reaching the Loch Vaal. The water passes through a number ofwetlands filled with reeds.162 As a large regional wastewater treatment works,servingthesouthernpartsofGauteng,chancesarethatunscheduledspillsoftoxicmaterialscouldspiketheplant.ThisaffectsthequalityofwaterintheRietspruituptoLochVaal.

158. PBourdieu,“Thearistocracyofculture”inMediaCulture,2,1980,pp.225–54.

159. RSA C000/00/2305/5. DWAF, Integrated water quality management plant for theVaal River system. Task 6: Evaluation of water quality management scenarios(Pretoria,September2008),

160. G du T De Villiers, “The management of urban rivers” in Acta Academica, 36(3),2004,pp.103–104,98–110.

161. Minutes: Rietspruit sub‐catchment forum meeting 2009.0210,http://www.reservoir.co.za/catchments/vaal%20barrage/rietspruit%20forum/rietspruit%20forum%20minutes/rietspruit%20forum%20minutes%2010%20feb%202009.pdf (Accessed2009.04.20).

162. PersonaldisclosureMrFrancoisvanWyk,2009.04.20.

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Thefish‐killsrepresentanactofbrutalandinhumaneasphyxiationofharmlessfish.This has a knock‐on effect in a number of other spheres of more direct humanactivity.Somearelistedbelow.

1. Thefish‐killsclearlyhadaknock‐oneffectonthepropertymarketalongthebanksoftheVaalRiver,belowtheVaalDamwall.Forcompanieswhomakelarge capital investments indevelopment ventures,pollutioneventshaveanegative impactonthepotentialvalueoftheirproperties. Italso leadstoasituationinwhichpotentialhomebuyers–especiallyintheleisureorholidaymarket–havesecondthoughtsabout investinginpropertyonthebanksoftheVaalRiverBarrage.163

2. TheVaalRiverBarragehas,foranumberofyears,beenapopulardestinationforSouthAfricanbassanglers.ThesportispartofanindustrythatgeneratesasmuchasR1,2billionperannum.Fish‐kills leadtolocal lossof incomeforthetourismindustryoperatingintheVaalRiverBarrage.Bassanglerstendtoseekoutalternativefishingvenues,suchastheVaalDam.164

3. Fish‐killsposeapotentialhealththreattohumansusingthewaterforleisurepurposes.

4. Fish‐killsadverselyaffecttheaestheticvalueoftheriverenvironment.SouthAfrica is a water‐poor country. Large riverscapes are the exception to therule,especiallyinthehighlypopulatedGautengProvince.Fish‐killsintheVaalRiver Barrage lead to the deterioration of quality of life, not only for localresidents,butalsovisitorstotheriver.

5. The fish‐kills seriously affect the biodiversity of the regional environment,whichisalreadyseverelycompromised.

6. BelowtheVaalRiverBarrageriversideurbansettlements,suchasParys,relyon the river for theirwater supply.Althoughdownstream tributariesdilutethewateroftheBarrage,thisleadstothedeteriorationofwaterqualityforthesecommunities.165

7. It is costly to clean the river after a fish‐kill. Apart from legal costs,environmentalcleaningoperationsareexpensive. Intheprocesstaxpayers’moneyisusedforthesepurposes.

163. TOA Oral information (OI) 20081227: FS Cilliers (41), JTI Base Camp Loch Vaal,

2008.12.27.

164. TOA,OI20090102:PaulPieterSmit(42),9SundayStreetThreeRivers,Vereeniging,2009.01.02.

165. ForadetailedexpositionofthestateofaffairsinParys,see JWNTempelhoff,AvanZyl,GvanRiet,CGouws,JHardy,HJordaan,ALudick,SMotloung,ASchlemmer,AVenter,G vanGreuning andH vanWyk, “An investigation into the environmentalhealthoftheVaalRiverinthevicinityofParys”,ResearchNicheAreafortheCulturalDynamicsofWater,North‐WestUniversityVanderbijlparkCampus.Report1/2008.

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8. Pollution events directly linked to local authorities, such as Emfuleni LocalMunicipality,haveanegativeimpactontheircredibilityasstructuresofcivilsocietygovernance.

InarecenthighlyratedpublicationtheFredPearcetouchedonwhatheconsiderstobe the new direction in the ethicalmanagement of availablewater resources. Heexplainsthatwehavetostartmanagingthewatercyclebetter.Thisimpliesthatwetypically:

have to give up the idea that water has to be extracted from nature and put insidemetal or behind concrete before it can be used … We have to treat nature as theultimateproviderofwater,ratherthanitswastefulwithholder.Wemustlearnto‘ridethewatercycle’,ratherthenreplaceit…[W]eneedanewethosbasednotontechnicalfixes,butonmanagingthewatercycleformaximumsocialbenefitratherthannarrowself‐interest.166

Pearcealsopointsout:

Thenewthinkingmeansgoingwiththegrainofnature.Toensureourwatersuppliesand protect ourselves against the damaging floods, especially in an uncertaingreenhouse world, we will often have to tear down dams and dykes, recharge theundergroundreservoirsandremaketherivers.167

Thisethicrequiresofstakeholders:

tofindwaysofstoringwaterwithoutwreckingtheenvironment;ofrestoringwatertorivers and refilling lakes and wetlands without leaving people thirsty; and of sharingwatersratherthanfightingoverthem. Itrequiresustogowiththeflow.Andtodo itbeforetheriversrundry.168

ContemplatingthesethoughtsatatimewhentheenvironmentalhealthoftheVaalRiverBarrageisunderseverepressure,itisevidentthatthoseriverpeoplewhoaresopassionate aboutpreservingoneof themajor riverscapeson the SouthAfricanHighveld, still have a long hard way ahead before they can sit back and merelyappreciateanexquisiteandspecialenvironmentalregionofSouthAfrica.

Vanderbijlpark

Fifthedition

2009.04.22

166. FPearce,When the rivers rundry:whathappenswhenourwater runsout? (Eden

ProjectBooks,TransworldPublishers,London,2007)pp.347–348.

167. Ibid.,p.349.

168. Ibid.,p.351.

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Addendum01

Proposal:InvestigatingthepossibleestablishmentofanenvironmentalprotectionvolunteerunitfortheVaalRiverBarrage

Compiledby:Prof.DewaldvanNiekerk

Director:AfricanCentreforDisasterStudiesNorth‐WestUniversity

1. INTRODUCTION

TheDisasterManagementAct,No57of2002makesprovisionfortheestablishment

of disaster management volunteer units in Chapter 7. The responsibility for such

units is given to the districtmunicipalitieswithin the local sphere of government.

Emanating from theDisasterManagement Act are the national regulationswhich

governtheformationandmanagementofthesevolunteerunits.Theseregulations

makeprovisionfortheestablishmentofanumberoftypesofvolunteerunit.Such

unitsofvolunteerscanbedeterminedbythespecificneedandcircumstancesofthe

municipalityinquestion.

Thefollowingproposalbrieflyoutlinesthepossibilitiesintheimplementationofan

environmentalprotectionvolunteerunitfortheVaalRiverBarrage.Thestatusquois

firstdiscussed,followedbymentionofpossiblescenarios.

2. STATUSQUO

According to Mr Pieter Nuwenhuys (2009), head of Disaster Management at the

SedibengDistrictMunicipality, there are already three entitieswith a presence at

theBarrage:RandWater;theSAPS;andtheFireService.Nuwenhuysclaimsthatthe

actions of these entities are uncoordinated and theDisasterManagement Centre,

through its Disaster Management Advisory Forum, is seeking closer cooperation

between these threeunits.Healso says thataCommunityPolicingForum (CPF) is

functioning inthisareaandthat thismightserveasanotherstructurewhichcould

provideimpetusforenvironmentalprotection.

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2.1 CCTV

The Sedibeng District Municipality is currently investigating the possibility of the

implementationofaCCTVsystemwhichwouldnotonlybemoreeffectivethanthe

telemetricsystembutwhichwouldalsoprovidetheDisasterManagementCentres

withadequate,realtimevisualdataonthestatusquo intheBarrage(Nuwenhuys,

2009).Besidesthevalueofsuchasystemforwatersafety,itcouldalsobeappliedas

anearlywarningsystemforriverpollution,crimepreventionandconservation.

Nuwenhuys (2009) also indicates that the District DisasterManagement Centre is

currentlyconsideringtheestablishmentofatechnicalsub‐committeeoftheDisaster

Management Advisory Forum in which all the role players (e.g. Property Owners’

Association,SAPS,RandWater,DWAF,FireServices,DisasterManagement,etc.)on

theBarragecandiscussuniqueissues.

Inthelightofconstrainsintermsofstaff,volunteers,resourcesandfunds,itmakes

logical sense to use existing mechanisms and structures in order to address the

identifiedneed.

3. SCENARIOS

Thefollowingscenariosarepossible:

• Theremightbenospecificneedforsuchaunit.

• Existingmechanisms/unitsand resourcesat theBarragemightbe sufficient

toaddresstheneedforenvironmentalprotection.

• Aneedmightbe identified for theestablishmentofauniqueandnewunit

whichwouldensureenvironmentalprotection.

o SuchaunitcanbeestablishedundertheDisasterManagementAct.

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o Such a unit can be established under another department (e.g. Fire

ServicesintheEmfuleniLocalMunicipality)oranentity(suchasSAPS,

DWAF, civic group, Rand Water) with links to the Disaster

ManagementCentreofthedistrict.

4. RECOMMENDATIONS

Thefollowingrecommendationscanbemade:

• All the entities with a presence at the Barrage (e.g. the Emfuleni Local

Municipality, theSedibengDistrictMunicipality, theSAPS,RandWateretc.)

must as a matter of urgency convene a meeting in order to identify and

discusstheirvariouspointsoffocusontheBarrage.

• Anin‐depthneedsandgapanalysismustbeundertakeninordertoestablish

theperceivedandrealneedforanenvironmentalprotectionunit.

• The establishment of the above‐mentioned unit must be in line with the

current regulations on disaster management volunteers, should there be

consensusastotheneedofsuchaunit.

SOURCES:

Nuwenhuys,P.2009.HeadofDisasterManagement:SedibengDistrictMunicipality.

Telephonicinterviewwithauthor.20January.

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