The Minister of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment, Dr Dion George, must intervene in the pollution crisis in the Limpopo River right away, says Jacques Smalle, DA member of the provincial legislature and spokesperson for economic development, the environment and tourism in the province.
By Jasper Raats, senior journalist at African Farming and Landbou.com
This follows after irrigation farmers all along the river, from Tom Burke to as far downstream as the confluence of the Nzhelele River with the Limpopo, have noticed the water has an unnatural green colour and a chemical odour since last weekend.
Alarm Bells
According to Deidré Carter, CEO of Agri Limpopo, farmers in the Nzhelele area started calling them on Saturday morning to ask whether anyone knew what was wrong with the water. “I immediately got in touch with our members along the river and confirmed that the same issue exists upstream as far as Tom Burke.”
Meanwhile, the Vhembe District Municipality has conducted water sample tests and warned residents not to drink the water. “We don’t know what it is yet but we suspect it is pollution caused by a mine upstream from Musina,” a municipal official said in a voice message to residents.
When Green Is Not Good
Although the municipality initially suspected the pollution originated from a mine on the Zimbabwean side of the river, Carter says the fact that the pollution occurs further upstream from the mine suggests it might in fact come from the Lephalale or Thabazimbi areas.
According to Smalle, the likelihood of diplomatic challenges is high because several countries border the Limpopo River.
“That is why I brought the matter to Dr George’s attention immediately. He has already indicated that his department will investigate the matter at a national level,” Smalle says.
AgriSA, too, has formally requested the Department of Water and Sanitation to intervene, and the regulatory division of this department has since opened a dossier, says Carter.
One of the farmers in the Nzhelele area said on Wednesday the green colour of the water was starting to clear, but the water in the reservoirs from which they irrigate remained green.
Both Carter and Smalle point out that there are intensive irrigation farming operations along the Limpopo. These range from large-scale vegetable production – especially potatoes, onions and bell peppers – to the production of citrus for export purposes.
Carter says they have asked farmers along the river to test the water and are awaiting the results.
