Health concerns over pollution have long been an issue for the communities of Durban South, situated at the heart of several chemical industry giants.
The national Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) has initiated a comprehensive health study in the area with the intention to understand the health profile of the people within the South Durban Basin (SDB). This comes after National Freedom Party (NFP) parliamentary member, Ahmed Munzoor Shaik questioned DEFF minister, Barbara Creecy on the reasons her department had never released a report on the research conducted by the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN) on the high levels of pollution and its impact on the resident’s living in Merebank, Bluff, Jacobs and Lamontville.
Creecy said that it was not clear which research project Shaik was referring to and unless the report had specifically been commissioned by the DEFF, the department would not be able to release a report that was compiled by an institution not under its direct control, without its explicit permission.
“The only research related to health studies conducted around SDB, which the DEFF is aware of, was one commissioned by eThekwini Municipality under the auspices of the South Durban Multipoint Project titled, Multipoint Plan: Project 4 – Health study and health risk assessment by Naidoo, et al in 2006. The research was conducted by UKZN for eThekwini Metropolitan Municipality. DEFF was a key stakeholder, but not the lead department which initiative the research,” she said.
The draft terms of reference of the new proposed research is being finalised and a service provider will be appointed to conduct the study.
SDCEA responds:
Local environmentalist, Desmond D’sa of the South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA), said that instead of yet another health study, resources and more effective action needs to be done by the government.
“Health studies that were completed in 2002, called the Settlers School Health Study on local learners and educators found that 52.5% of them had asthma and over 50% had chronic asthma. In a further study done and completed in 2007, it was concluded that the asthma rate in South Durban was increasing. The high levels of benzene, a well-known carcinogenic, was also directly linked to the high prevalence of cancer, hence the South Durban area was called ‘cancer alley’. The recommendations of this study, which cost millions of rands, were never implemented.
“The lack of political will together with the closeness of refinery personnel and municipal managers has resulted in no action regarding the improvement of the quality of air in South Durban. As a result incidence and accident continue to occur and people, plants and animals, like fish, continue to pay the price for authority apathy. Why would we need another health study? What purpose would it play because residents and the community know what is affecting their quality of life and health?” he questioned.
D’sa urged that the DEFF implement the recommendations of the previous health study by using funds to provide a free cancer and asthma 24 hour clinic for the victims of the chemical industry.
