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The Western Cape Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning has sent a warning to the City of Cape Town to clean up the mess in Du Noon.

A “pre-directive” was issued to the city to compel them to deal with the “chronic dumping” in the overcrowded settlement, which often spills over onto the edges of the N7 heading to Malmesbury.

Issued on 27 August, the director of Environmental Law Enforcement in the provincial Department of Environmental Affairs and Development Planning Achmad Bassier said “large amounts of general waste” had been dumped in the local park, along the roadside and in a dam next to the N7, “which is not only causing significant pollution of the environment but also impacting negatively on the health and wellbeing of the residents within the Dunoon township”.

The department claims the city has not taken “reasonable measures” to prevent pollution. The City was given a week to explain why the pre-directive should not be made a directive.

This comes after the area around Du Noon began to accumulate heaps of decaying trash and broken furniture. The shacks lining the perimeter of the municipal hall, which has a dam behind it, is also choked with trash. Trash heaps line the banks, with plastic bags floating everywhere.

According to Bassier, the City of Cape Town was given 30 days to carry out a cleanup and present a thorough Waste Management Plan that included budgets and accountable authorities. Weekly clean-ups, rubbish collection, and community education campaigns on pollution must all be included in the plan.

Serious consequences, such as fines of up to R10 million or up to 10 years in jail, might arise from noncompliance.

City announced in a statement that refuse collection in Dunoon would increase to three times a week from 1 September, in a bid to tackle severe dumping. It has also responded to the pre-directive with a Waste Management Plan on 5 September, along with evidence of clean-up efforts and a progress report.

“The Department is engaged in ongoing discussions with the City to find amicable solutions to the environmental challenges, including those affecting Dunoon Township.”

The City has said that although some dumping was unavoidable, “it was committed to minimising and rectifying environmental damage through regular waste collection and sanitation services”.

[source:groundup]