Gardag to approach High Court re dam development

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GEORGE NEWS - The Garden Route Dam Action Group (Gardag) is to approach the High Court for a judicial review of the decision taken by the Minister of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning to grant environmental approval for the proposed development at the Garden Route Dam.

Gardag chairperson Desireé du Preez says in a media statement issued last week that it is concerned that the potential contamination of the dam and potential health impacts have not been addressed in the environmental impact assessment for the development.

"A narrative has been circulating that a few privileged citizens are attempting to protect their own backyard, while the issue at stake is the public health of the entire population in George. Due to irresponsible development, most dams in the country are too polluted for swimming."

She says it is for this reason that the organisation has decided to approach the High Court, following a largely unsuccessful appeal.

"Gardag feels that the conditions included in the environmental authorisation to mitigate this impact are not adequate to safeguard our health. Mitigation is not the same as avoidance, which is the best course of action for public health. What we are asking is a small price with great gains."

Du Preez says Gardag is concerned that accumulated sewage spills and plastic pollution in our drinking water may have adverse effects on reproductive health.

"It is well known from international literature that sewage contains oestrogen and various pharmaceuticals." (Her reference is: Int J Mol Sci. 2020 Mar; 21(6): 1929. Published online 2020 Mar 12. doi: 10.3390/ijms21061929.

PHOTO GALLERY: Aerial view of the Garden Route Dam

She says these pharmaceuticals, along with other endocrine disrupting chemicals and carcinogens such as glyphosate, other herbicides, and plastic leachate, are not broken down naturally or removed from drinking water through our standard water treatment methods. Storm water also contains heavy metals and other substances.

"These endocrine disrupting substances are not easily detected with the water testing methods available to the laboratories in George, and testing is expensive. We do not know what is in our water."

Municipality's testing regime

George Municipality in response said the George municipal laboratory services perform daily, weekly and monthly water quality sampling and testing to ensure that it conforms with the South African National Standard (SANS) 241:1:2015.

"George Municipality monitors the raw water quality entering the various water treatment facilities, and monitors the water quality before and after each treatment process within the water treatment facility during various times in the cycle, at the potable water storage reservoirs and at strategic points in the water distribution network once the treated water is discharged into the network, as well as performs network quality control checks to ensure that the water quality conforms with the SANS 241 drinking water quality standards.

"The scheduled Blue Drop evaluation that is currently underway will confirm George Municipality's drinking water quality compliance. Our potable water is top quality and meets all quality control requirements which include microbiological, chemical, aesthetic, and chronic health."

Testing is done for physical and aesthetic determinants (colour, conductivity, TDS, turbidity, and pH); chemical determinants (Macro: free chlorine, chloride. Micro: iron, manganese and aluminium); microbiological determinants (total coliforms and E.coli) as well as alkalinity, hardness, calcium and magnesium, according to the municipality.

Photos: BJ Kriel