GREATER catastrophe awaits the harbour city of Richards Bay and its residents if proper spatial planning is not done to cradle the economic boom the area is undergoing.
That was the warning from environmentalist Desmond D’Sa after surveying the outcomes of an inferno that rages on at the NCT Forestry Wood Chip plant since last Saturday.
Thick smoke clouds laden with pollutants have hovered over the city in the aftermath, and authorities have asked people, especially those with a predisposition to asthma and bronchitis, to steer clear.
Sandy Camminga, from the Richards Bay Clean Air Association, said according to the World Health Organization, smoke inhalation held short and long-term effects.
“Literature showed that lung and cardiovascular impacts could result from the exposure,” said Camminga.
D’Sa believed it was unfathomable that NCT’s immediate neighbours were another wood chip factory and Foskor, a major producer of phosphates and phosphoric acid.
Foskor’s chief executive James Morotoba confirmed that to prevent a possible explosion with severe consequences, they moved their ammonia stock of around 800 tons off-site and significantly reduced their carrying capacity of 80 000 tons of sulphur.
When strong winds changed direction suddenly last Saturday, the burning wood chips jumped from three blazing piles at NCT and onto nearby green-belt, causing dry leaves and grass to burn.
Residents living on the edge of the green-belt panicked as the fire crept ominously towards their homes, but was eventually contained.
“The authorities never considered pollution and fires when they did their planning. Richards Bay is a ticking time bomb,” warned D’Sa.
His comment was made in reference to the 25 catalytic projects associated with the harbour, and talk of increasing mining, and developing gas and oil refinery lines from the city to various parts of the country
“Can you imagine what will happen then, considering the trucks that are already carrying hazardous materials to the harbour for export.
“The fire and gas explosion we saw in Joburg’s CBD in July will be like small change.
“But the authorities don’t seem to have an understanding of the potential risks, instead they are focused on creating jobs and other interests.
“They want to go ahead and give approval without proper planning and considering all the risks, especially the impact on people.
“The fires are a warning of what could potentially happen.”
D’Sa claimed approval for projects were being granted at a national level in Pretoria, but ministers were not abreast of on the ground happenings, and called for investigations.
Morotoba said Foskor was constructed in the 1970s.
“We have been here before many others. At the time this was the most suitable area for us because it was close to the port.”
He was satisfied Foskor was positioned a safe distance from residents and would continue operations presently, but not at their usual levels.
“We will continue operating the acid plant at reasonable levels to avoid shutting down, as that may cause pipe damages, which could result in acid and gas leaks,” said Morotoba.
Danny Knoesen, NCT’s general manager, said the fire at their plant was a world first for the wood chip industry.
While they were yet to establish how the fires started, they believed it probably started near their conveyor belt, which was not running, or there was an electrical short circuit.
“We have salvaged broad video footage. Once the fires are out we will look at that. Presently, the safety of businesses around us and the community is our concern.”
He said once the fire ignited and caught the conveyor belt, burning rubber dropped onto the wood chips, which escalated quickly.
“The crucial thing that was not in our favour was the temperature of 39 degrees and the massive winds fanning whatever was burning.”
Knoesen was adamant they had all the necessary fire fighting equipment in place, their fire team had regular drills and response from the uMhlathuze fire department was good.
“The problem was the prevailing wind conditions and temperature.
“What exacerbated the situation and sent the fire completely out of control was the sudden swing in the wind direction about two-and-half hours after it started.
“A south westerly wind fanned the flames to such an extent that visibility on the ground became zero.
“Embers were everywhere, which was a massive risk to life and limb so we withdrew the fire fighting teams.”
Knoesen said the fire jumped to pile number two, and then 300m to pile three on Saturday night because winds swung again.
He said the three piles combined had 180 000 tons of wood chips.
On whether they were overstocked, Knoesen said: “We can't break the stock up into manageable blocks. We have regular audits from insurers and we always meet the grade.
“There hasn't been a disaster like this in the world before. Maybe this will give the world an opportunity to rethink how we do things.”
After the first eight hours of the fire, the damage done made the situation irretrievable.
“Therafter, everything became about containment and protecting the businesses and people around us.”
He said they planned to restart operations in six to eight months with either a line of eucalyptus or wattle wood.
“Over 80% of our business is export, we are a R3.5 billion operation.
“I have gone on record to guarantee the jobs of our 180 workers in Richards Bay,” he said.
Bongani Gina, Umhlathuze’s spokesperson, said it appeared that they were winning the battle with fire and they didn’t foresee it crossing over to Foskor.
In case of an emergency, Gina said the municipality had facilities like a bulk SMSing system, social media platforms and local media houses to disseminate alerts quickly.
Gina said houses were at least 2km away from the factories.
“We are confident residents were a safe distance away from harm.”
SUNDAY TRIBUNE