(Bloomberg) — A pollution control dam at UPL Ltd.’s fire-damaged chemical warehouse near the eastern South African city of Durban has spilled following heavy rains.
The warehouse was torched by looters in July last year and the fire released a range of dangerous harmful chemicals into the air and nearby watercourses. Significant numbers of fish died and beaches were closed as a result, while the residents complained about air pollution. South Africa’s Environment Ministry has said UPL didn’t have the appropriate permits to store the chemicals, an allegation the company denied.
The dam, a re-purposed storm-water facility, had been carefully managed and its contents taken to a landfill, the company said in a statement.
“The heavy rains over the weekend and continuing into last night have however created an unprecedented volume of storm-water in the PCD,” UPL said. “In response to this threat, UPL had resumed extraction to tankers and the specialist team implemented systems to reduce the volume of rainwater entering the PCD. Despite these interventions, due to ongoing heavy rainfall the PCD still over-topped.”
Specialists appointed by UPL said the spilled water has “extremely diluted” contaminants, according to the company.
Still, the spill has flowed into the Ohlanga tributary and the water is being tested, the eThekwini Municipality, which includes Durban, said in a statement. The municipality warned the public against entering the river close to the spill, and said a ban on collecting mussels and oysters at a nearby estuary remains in force.
