SUBJECT: “ToxiSoil’: Industry produced by-product

Mpumalanga province reserves pride for economic beneficiation; secondary industries positioning at glance for economic and social progression in means of employment, standardised living, and poverty alleviation.

However, the province suffers a new pauperism norm which shares a deliberate and direct impact and effect upon the society generally: pollution.

The scourge and “splurge” of pollution attributive to water and atmosphere has exorbitantly increased in a drastic toll. Nonetheless somehow, the norm has over many times seemingly underpinned to gain strength and resilience upon the much-life compulsory product, soil.

Mining, petrochemicals, energy and farms are major contributory influencers of soil pollution. Thus, coal and gas mines and refinery aswel construction industries, during operational processes contribute carbon and nitrogen dioxide particular emissions into the atmosphere. Nevertheless, these particulates gain a direct influence of toxic soil effect through acidic rainfall and heatwave, wind conditions.

South African mining activities have pledged an enormous and hefty toxic “mining sand” piles which nestle as dumps characterised as “Mine Mountains”. These, during windy and rainy weather conditions overflow into the river streams, water mashes and open field which result soil pollution intra communities. More so, these sand piles/heaps sustain growth dissemination into agricultural farmlands and fields afar and nearby communities where subsistence and commercial farming practices and activities are practiced.

Acid Mine Drainage (AMD) hosts other impactful ramifications which effect community soil resources as sand and gravel aswel as mining companies pledge rehabilitation absence due to purposeful intolerance, responsibility abdication and non-environmental law adherence.

According to Financial24 a division of News24 digital news portal, a 2015 report conducted was by the Department (National Treasury) of Finance detailed the investigation study which suggested that AMD cost the (combined local and provincial) economy a staggering [ZAR(South African Rand)] R60bn for rehabilitation purposes- with costs escalating persistently, effectively.

The phenomena has exacerbated as commercial and subsistence farming intra the agricultural sector too accounting food produce (vegetable and fruit) and livestock. The national Department of Agriculture reported that food produce sustained toxic content with livestock such as cows, chickens and fish-those belonging to outer periphery farms and inbound communities contracted communicable diseases due to ground-lying pollutant particulars within soil. It further outlined that many these animals contracted such kind from the neglected sewage’s existing amongst the rural areas villages and townships. Amid governmental interventions of chemical use enforcement escalated the plight concomitant of  the sudden bureaucratic decision to discard away infected food livestock urgently to avert human health effect risk resulted to local economic loss for livestock owners, sellers and growers-without much compensation granted thereof.

Coal mining activities during mining, assembly and transportation aswel as energy production power stations position as emitters, emitting over the communities and farmlands. Also, rivers, streams and wetlands remained non-immune due to soil reserves compositions weakening and depleting- losing sequence and strength.  To date, water catchments and underground tables lost strength capacity posing a deeper drought plight as experienced prior.

Petrochemical company, SASOL Pty and Pulp corporate SAPPI Pty have booth taken lead and has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with investors to combat soil environmental challenges and issues regards climate change and global warming.

State energy entity ESKOM has pressured upon the effort to reduce coal for energy production.

National, provincial and Local governments have too authorised and ventured into a Inter-Governmental Relation: to bolster environmental climate  concerns posed, experienced and exposed within/by  communities, organisations and corporates within Mpumalanga.