by Michael Kramer-Duffield
In the heavily industrialized area of South Durban, many communities have banded together over the last decade to bring attention to and find remedies for the great harm they have incurred from living in the midst of often careless and poisonous industries. The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) has been the glue holding together and advancing these communitiesí resolve to bring about reform in the way industries are regulated and to bring better living conditions to the people of the area.
Air Pollution
Industrial air pollution is a priority concern in South Durban. Many harmful chemicals are emitted into the air, including various sulfur and carbon oxides, complex hydrocarbons, lead emitted from vehicles still using leaded gasoline, and other products of incomplete combustion. Height limits on smokestacks because of proximity to airport landing strips and flight paths inhibit dispersion of the emissions.
In 1974, sulfur dioxide emissions were estimated at 140 tons per day for the entirety of South Durban. By the mid-1990s, two oil refineries alone were permitted to emit that amount. Because of the concentration of petroleum and chemical industries there, South Durban currently has one of the highest ambient sulfur dioxide levels in South Africa.
In spite of the often strong sea breezes, there is also evidence of urban smog developing in Durban. Sometimes the low visibility due to smog during winter climatic inversions prevents planes from landing at the Durban International Airport.
Water
Both the Umlazi Canal and canalized Isipingo River have suffered from illegal dumping, leaching of poorly planned waste sites, and industrial spills and accidents. Mercury and chrome have been found in the Umlazi Canal and the sea. Periodic fish kills attest to excessive industrial effluents, sewage from informal settlements, and oxygen depletion in the Isipingo River and lagoon.
The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance, formed in 1996, is an environmental justice organization made up of 14 affiliate organizations. Its purpose is to unite communities to ensure that environmental justice is upheld in South Durban. It also seeks to promote a culture of environmental awareness and sustainable development, and to provide a local network of support and assistance to community based organizations. Its programs include lobbying, reporting and researching industrial incidents and accidents in the area. In addition SDCEA aims to perform an educational role to promote the wise use and conservation of natural resources
Two Global Greengrants Fund grants – one of $4,000 in 2004 and one of $5,000 in 2005 – have helped SDCEA to continue its fight for environmental justice in South Durban.
Some Notable Accomplishments
- SDCEA uses a Geographic Information System (GIS) to collect complaints from local communities about pollution problems. Its implementation has now forced the local and provincial government to install a similar system. The GIS also produces pollution maps, which have been given to local schools as educational tools.
- In February 2004 SDCEA, in conjunction with Danmarks Naturfredningsforening (DN), published a book as part of their joint Local Action Project. The book, Applied Meteorology and Climatology in South Durban, is now used as an educational tool targeted at 10-12 Grade geography students.
- SDCEA has also created a “toxic tour” of south Durban called “From the Cradle to the Grave.” It is a tour of the industrial areas of south Durban, allowing participants to witness firsthand the potential for disaster that looms along the fence line between industries and residential areas (e.g. the Settlers Primary School, located 700m from the Engen refinery, where 52% of students and teachers suffer from asthma).
- The Bucket Brigade, organized by SDCEA, takes independent air samples when they are called out by local communities. These samples are taken independently from local government or industry, inform communities what is in the air that they are breathing, and list a wider range of chemicals than the industry standard tests. The samples have also, in no small part, helped to convince the oil refineries to install emissions-reducing technology and practices such as low nitrogen burners for their furnaces, sulfur recovery units, and switching from heavy fuel oil to gas in their production processes to reduce particulates and sulfur emissions.
- In June 2005 SDCEA held its Environmental Day, where local participants, including many students, came together for a day of speeches, songs, dance, and plays that all carried messages of environmental stewardship, sustainability and justice.