More and more companies have come forward to complain about the stench emanating from the Vinaqua Waste Water Treatment Plant.
The plant, completed in 2021, was a joint venture between Distell and Brenn-O-Kem. Wastewater from both businesses are collected by Vinaqua, after which it goes through a process of purifying the effluent.
Businesses surrounding the plant have continuously complained about the foul odours emanating from the plant, which are causing adverse effects on their staff. According to Drikus Greeff, managing director at APL Cartons, many complaints are being made about sinuses having become worse since the plant started operating.
“People’s eyes are also burning, their chests feel heavy and their sinuses are far worse than before the plant opened here in 2021,” he said at a meeting of the plant’s directors and neighbouring businesses.
According to those who work close to the plant, the most concerning gasses being emitted from the plant are methane and hydrogen sulphide (H2s). As explained by Wikipedia, H2s is a chemical compound, a colourless chalcogen-hydride gas which is poisonous, corrosive and flammable, with trace amounts in ambient atmosphere having a characteristically foul odour of rotten eggs. Whereas methane contributes to the formation of ground-level ozone, a gas that is harmful to humans, ecosystems and crops, according to the Global Methane Assessment, which is stated on honeywell.com.
In a presentation to its neighbours on Thursday 3 November Ruaan Genade, chairperson of the Vinaqua board, said the reason for the gas and odours was largely because the roofs of two of the company’s tanks weren’t properly sealed.
“We smelled the odours ourselves,” he said. “We then put down an odour monitoring system for two weeks. We measured that the gas levels were below dangerous levels. Another problem we encountered is the flare, that buns out the gasses emitted from the plant was too low, We then made the flare higher and haven’t had any complaints since.”
Genade also attributed some of the problems and odours to the regular load shedding the country has been experiencing lately. In his presentation he said all critical equipment is connected to a small generator and they plan on installing a bigger generator early next year. Furthermore he said, not all the odours drifting around the industrial area came from Vinaqua.– Continued on page 2
