PRESS STATEMENT BY JAN BOTHA COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR-
OF UPL SOUTH AFRICA
23 September 2021
UPL warehouse arson attack: Experts give all
clear for beaches to open
UPL has provided a report written by independent specialists
to the eThekwini Municipality on the results of a chemical analysis of the
beaches and sea water conducted over the past few weeks, with the last
samples taken on the 8th of September. The report recommends that
all beaches are safe to be reopened following the arson attack against the UPL
Cornubia warehouse on 12th of July 2021 during the widespread
violence and looting that broke out across Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Samples, including control samples, were taken at various
sites along the coastline (from Salt Rock in the north to Umgeni estuary in the
south) with the results undergoing expert scrutiny and interpretation by a
range of independent specialists. They have concluded that the beaches and
ocean outside a 1km exclusion zone, north, south and east of the mouth pose an
extremely low chemical risk to the public regardless of whether the estuary
mouth is open or closed.
PRESS STATEMENT BY JAN BOTHA COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR-
OF UPL SOUTH AFRICA
23 September 2021
UPL warehouse arson attack: Experts give all
clear for beaches to open
UPL has provided a report written by independent specialists
to the eThekwini Municipality on the results of a chemical analysis of the
beaches and sea water conducted over the past few weeks, with the last
samples taken on the 8th of September. The report recommends that
all beaches are safe to be reopened following the arson attack against the UPL
Cornubia warehouse on 12th of July 2021 during the widespread
violence and looting that broke out across Kwa-Zulu Natal.
Samples, including control samples, were taken at various
sites along the coastline (from Salt Rock in the north to Umgeni estuary in the
south) with the results undergoing expert scrutiny and interpretation by a
range of independent specialists. They have concluded that the beaches and
ocean outside a 1km exclusion zone, north, south and east of the mouth pose an
extremely low chemical risk to the public regardless of whether the estuary
mouth is open or closed.
These findings follow an extensive clean-up operation that
has been conducted by UPL over the past 10 weeks that has already cost the
company just over R177 million. This has seen team of hazardous waste
management companies, environmental professionals working around the clock to
remove contaminated water and sediments from the streams to the confluence with
the Ohlanga River and treat the remaining water in order to make it safe. It
has also included containment and clean up measures at the warehouse site.
To date, thousands of litres of liquid waste has been removed
from the area as well as of solid waste from various points along the
stream and from the burnt warehouse site.
UPL has spared no expense in responding to the damage caused
by the recent violent looting which led to a fire at its warehouse facility in
Cornubia. After its initial response was hampered by the inability of emergency
services and spill teams to access the site due to the security threat that was
posed by criminals. What has been lost in much of the discussion on this
incident is that UPL was a victim as much as any other business that was the
target of violent destruction.
Now that some waterways have been de-contaminated, the UPL’s
focus, with the support of leading environmental experts and specialists, will
shift to rehabilitating the much smaller areas of the river and wetlands
systems that were affected over the longer-term.
UPL want to highlight that marine life will
continue to be impacted by other events, natural and human influenced. We are
willing to work with any group who is concerned about whether the arson and
subsequent spill are involved in marine kill. A recent report (11 September) by
the Marine & Estuarine Research (MER) consultancy, which found that the
cause of the large amount of dead fish along the uMdloti beaches was the result
of a natural occurrence. The report concluded that the mouth of the uMdloti
Estuary had breached over-night due to a strong current and weather conditions,
washing the fish (living in fresh water) out into sea water. The dead fish then
washed up along the coast toward the uMhlanga Estuary.
UPL’s latest communication to the eThekwini municipality also
forms part of regular reporting to relevant authorities in the local,
provincial and national government on the clean-up operations and state of the
affected water ways, beaches and ocean. UPL have also appointed a specialist
company to conduct a human health impact assessment over the past few weeks and
are pleased that no fatalities or hospitalisations as a result of the chemical
spillage have been reported to date.
We remain committed to working closely with government, civil
society and surrounding communities to mitigate the impact of chemical spillage
caused by the unfortunate and unforeseeable widespread violence and unrest of
the 12th of July.
ENDS
Media Enquiries:
Nicole Mirkin
084 552 3122
