The Drakenstein Municipality (DM) is not being honest about its handling of the Portland cement debacle in De Soete-Inval.
It hasn’t been in communication with any residents or trustees of the neighbouring estate, despite multiple communications and drawing attention to the multiple concerns from residents in the area concerning the health and safety of residents due to the operations of Portland Readymix and the by-product waste stemming from their operations.
The company hasn’t developed an environmental or health and safety plan for the neighbourhood and impact on the neighbouring residents and businesses on the site.
None of the raw materials are covered against the wind or secured, with the heaps of various raw materials dumped along the boundary wall of the OCE and it’s actually higher than the boundary wall – and this multiple times a week with a haze often seen over the site.
Portland Readymix conducted and paid for the dust management report, with the two dust buckets placed not directly or near the processing point. Can this really be viewed as independent?
Although the state of Frater Street is a concern, the impact on the health of DM citizens and the damage to private property by the levels of the fine cement dust and the wastewater draining from the site and onto private property and eventually into the stormwater system that may be flowing into the Berg River is of high concern to residents.
None of these concerns have been followed up on by the municipality or the ward councillor, who have made no contact. The wash bay that has been set up, and what looks like a small dam/overspill site on the opposite side of the wash bay, has as a consequence been coming through and under the boundary wall and onto private property. To rectify one issue the company has caused another issue while still not resolving the Frater Street issue, which is not necessarily an environmental problem but the state of a road given the volume of heavy trucks operating on that road.
I have personally invited the DM in an impromptu meeting with other stakeholders to set up dust buckets along the boundary wall on Chardonnay Estate’s property and to test the sediment from the site, which has been flowing onto the property and into the storm water system, but I have received no follow up on this.
It’s September now, and we’re entering the drier months from October, lessening the viability of independent testing.
The cement dust collects on cars, in car engines, on property windows, into each house, on pet fur and is breathed in by residents and pets alike.
Rain or mist hardens the cement dust; the easy damage seen on cars’ windows, paintwork and engines, even after being professionally cleaned, so how is it affecting the lungs of residents?
No attempt has been made to contact residents or trustees of the estate. Residents have provided multiple photos and videos of problems they are having.
It would be of immense help if the DM and Portland Readymix would actually get in touch with residents, so a compromise regarding residents’ health concerns can be reached, instead of blindly accepting Portland’s industrial-area compliance audits.
