Environmentalists call for prosecutions as raw sewage continues to flow into Vaal River

Raw sewerage continues to flow into the Vaal River, despite pleas from environmentalists and concerned citizens.

Pollution of the Vaal River is at critical levels. The Vaal, which is the largest tributary of the great Orange River, has been used as a dumping site for toxic material, including raw sewerage. Major media outlets in South Africa have documented the rapid decline in water quality, which now threatens human health and safety as well as nearby ecosystems.

Vaal River pollution threatens health and well being

Save the Vaal Environment (Save) is an environmental rights organisation which has been tracking and studying the disastrous impact dumping has had on the Vaal. Thanks to the organisation’s efforts, government and the Emfuleni Municipality will now have to appear before the South African Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) to explain their inability to preserve the vital water source.

The commission has already conducted numerous site visits, while the actual inquiry is set to begin on Tuesday.

According to a report by Sowetan Live, Save is now calling for the arrest and prosecution of those involved in polluting the river. For the last ten years, the organisation has pressured the local government to take action against the municipality which has allowed sewerage to seep into the Vaal. Yet, Emfuleni municipality has managed to circumvent responsibility, by stating that it’s funding doesn’t allow for the repair of broken sewage pipes.

Vaal River: Government needs to be held accountable

According to Malcolm Plant, chairperson of Save, this excuse simply isn’t good enough. Plant argued that parties involved in the destruction of the Vaal River need to be held responsible before a court of law, saying:

“Our recommendation is that the necessary authorities must take full responsibilities for the sewerage, get the necessary funding from Treasury to stop the pollution and the breakdown of the Vaal River system. The best way to resolve the ongoing sins is to hold people accountable … take them to court and put them in jail for what has happened to the people of Vaal and the people using the river for their lives.”

Plant said that Vereeniging, Sebokeng, Boipatong and Sharpeville all relied heavily on the Vaal River and that pollution was having a negative impact on the communities’ way of life.