Pollution across Southwestern Asia

Cold winter weather and burgeoning industrial economies have made for difficult breathing in Asia and the Middle East this January. News reports from Ankara, Tehran, Beijing, and other cities have described hazy skies with very low visibility; restrictions on driving, factory operations, and outdoor activity; and hospitals full of people with lung ailments.
The map above shows the concentration of nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) in the atmosphere above southwestern Asia from January 1–8, 2013. Shades of orange reflect the relative abundance of NO₂, while grays show areas without usable data (cloud cover, for instance). The data were acquired by the Ozone Monitoring Instrument (OMI) on NASA’s Aura satellite. OMI measures the visible and ultraviolet light scattered and absorbed by Earth’s atmosphere and surface. The presence of NO₂ causes certain wavelengths of light to be absorbed.
Nitrogen dioxide is a key emission from the burning of fossil fuels by cars, trucks, power plants, and factories; the combustion of fuel also produces sulfur dioxides and aerosol particles. When the weather is hot and sunlight strongest, NO₂ emissions usually lead to the creation of ground-level ozone. In the winter, NO₂ is less likely to breed ozone, but it does linger for a long time and contribute to fine particle pollution. Year-round, it is a good proxy for the presence of air pollution.
Reports from Tehran and other cities note that the air is full of particulate matter, which is easier to spot from the ground but harder to measure from space. Desert landscapes, snow cover, and clouds all make airborne particles difficult to measure with nearly all current satellite instruments. Given that aerosols and NO₂ usually arise from the same fuel-burning emissions, the presence of one usually indicates the presence of the other.
In winter, several trends can combine to significantly harm air quality. When the weather is cold, people burn more fuel to keep warm. In many developing economies, the most widely available fuel is coal, which can produce more particulates and smog-producing compounds than other forms of energy.
At the same time, the weather is conspiring to keep these emissions close to the ground. In most times of year, the air higher in the atmosphere is cooler than the air near the ground, allowing warm air to rise and carry pollution up and away from its source. But in the winter, temperature “inversions” can form, where the air near the ground is cooler than the air at altitude. Polluted surface air rises a bit, but then runs into warmer air masses above and stays trapped near the surface.
Winter also can bring strong high pressure systems, which generate less wind and more stable atmospheric conditions that also hold surface air in place. Even geography can concentrate the air pollution. If a city is surrounded by mountains, cold air may continually sink down into the basin and the hills may temper or redirect the winds that can clear the air.

1. Related Reading

2. Hurriyet Daily News (2013, January 17) Alarming air pollution in Ankara. Accessed January 17, 2013.
3. NASA Earth Observatory (2007, May 20) Driving Ban Lowers Beijing Pollution.
4. The New York Times (2013, January 6) Annual Buildup of Air Pollution Chokes Tehran. Accessed January 17, 2013.
5. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (n.d.) Nitrogen Dioxide. Accessed January 17, 2013.

NASA Earth Observatory image by Jesse Allen, using data provided courtesy of the Aura OMI science team. Caption by Michael Carlowicz.

Instrument: 

Aura - OMI - NASA

SAWDOS Holiday Alert 2012/2013 - Sewerage spillage Umgeni River

Update:

Beaches officials say avoid: Blue Lagoon, Jet Ski, Laguna Beach and Thekwini Beach. These are ALL closed due to promenade upgrades.

eThekwini says swimming in the Umgeni River is prohibited. Fishermen are also advised to be cautious.

Original Twitter Messages by East Coast Radio News:

eThekwini municipality says sewage has been discharged into the Umgeni River, after a pump station malfunctioned at Kennedy Road.

Volume of the spillage could POSSIBLY affect bathing beaches North and South of the Umgeni River.

eThekwini officials advise bathers not to swim within 800m of the Umgeni River after sewerage station spill near Kennedy Road.

Technicians hope to have the pump station fixed by tomorrow. Water quality will also be monitored.

- East Coast Radio News

Eskom’s shocking environmental record revealed

Eskom is the biggest government environmental offender – and after R2 million paid in fines, it’s not changing its ways.

This is according to the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), which launched its annual National Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Report yesterday.

The report detailed a number of environmental crimes committed by individuals and industry, from rhino poaching to illegal waste disposal.

Criminal investigations are now under way into, among others, BHP Billiton and Arcelor-Mittal.

In the public sector, Eskom was the worst offender, for:

l Storing waste water without water use licences at its Lethabo power station in the Free State.

l Operating a waste-disposal site and storing coal without the required licences at its Matimba power station in Limpopo, as well as possibly causing soil, ground and surface water pollution because its waste disposal area was unlined.

l Exceeding emission limits at its Camden power station in Mpumalanga, while also discharging contaminated water into the environment.

The department sought prosecution because of the “significant non-compliance” at the Camden station, but the National Prosecution Authority decided against it – according to the National Environmental Management Act, the state is bound by the law, but can’t be held criminally liable for not following it.

The latest round of amendments to the act may change this, but until they are passed, the DEA is investigating how it can hold individuals liable for non-compliance instead.

Yesterday, the power utility said it “takes these issues very seriously” and had “a range of programmes in place across the organisation to ensure we comply with environmental legislation”. It claimed the DEA had inspected the three stations in 2009, but that Eskom received pre-compliance notices only this year and had addressed most of the issues.

The department has been able to take action by fining Eskom, but this seems to have had little effect.

In terms of the act, authorisation must be obtained for starting an activity that may have an impact on the environment, such as construction. It involves conducting an environmental impact assessment and developing an environmental management plan.

But section 24G of the act allows for companies to pay a retrospective fine for beginning a listed activity without fulfilling these requirements.

Eskom has paid more than R2m in these fines.

“The number of section 24G applications that have been submitted to the DEA by Eskom are evidence of continued non-compliance and it would appear that the levying of these fines is not resulting in compliance or deterring the company from contravening the law,” the report said.

But it’s not just Eskom. Last year saw a dramatic increase in these fines across the board, from R8.3m in the 2010/11 financial year to R17.6m this year.

“It tells us that a lot of people are using that section of the law to buy themselves out of prosecution,” said Centre for Environmental Rights executive director Melissa Fourie.

- The Star

Coast Guard ends search for 2 after oil rig fire

In this image released by a oil field worker and obtained by the Associated Press, a fire burns on a Gulf oil platform Friday, Nov. 16, 2012, after an explosion on the rig, in the Gulf of Mexico off the Louisiana coast. An explosion and fire ripped through a Gulf oil platform Friday as workers used a cutting torch, sending at least four people to a hospital with burns and leaving two missing in waters off Louisiana. (AP Photo)

NEW ORLEANS (AP) — The Coast Guard on Saturday evening called off its search for two workers missing after an explosion and fire on an oil platform in the Gulf of Mexico a day earlier. Four others workers were badly burned in the blaze, which evoked memories of the deadly 2010 Gulf oil spill.

Chief Petty Officer Bobby Nash told The Associated Press that the search was ended at about 5:25 p.m. CST Saturday. Helicopters and a fixed-wing aircraft had been searching a 1,400-square-mile area around the platform by air, while cutters and boat crews searched the sea, over a 32-hour period.

"The search is suspended pending further developments," the Coast Guard said in a news release Saturday night. A Guard spokesman had no additional comment on the decision.

The blaze erupted Friday morning while workers were using a torch to cut an oil line on a platform owned by Houston-based Black Elk Energy about 20 miles (40 kilometers) southeast of Grand Isle, La.

Four workers were severely burned, though Black Elk Energy spokeswoman Leslie Hoffman said their burns were not as extensive as initially feared.

Officials at Baton Rouge General Medical Center said Saturday that two men remained in critical condition, while two men remained in serious condition. The four, being treated in a burn unit, are employees of oilfield contractor Grand Isle Shipyard and are from the Philippines. The hospital said it and Grand Isle Shipyard are trying to reach the men's families in the Philippines.

It's unclear whether the missing men worked for a contractor. Grand Isle Shipyard employed 14 of the 22 workers on the platform at the time of the incident, WWL-TV in New Orleans reported. A man who answered the phone at the company's Galliano, La., office on Saturday said no one was available to comment.

Meanwhile, officials said no oil was leaking from the charred platform, a relief for Gulf Coast residents still weary two years after the BP oil spill illustrated the risk that offshore drilling poses to the region's ecosystem and economy.

Friday's fire sent an ominous black plume of smoke into the air reminiscent of the deadly 2010 Deepwater Horizon explosion that transformed the oil industry and life along the U.S. Gulf Coast

James A. Watson, the director of Louisiana's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement, said in a statement Saturday that his agency had begun "an investigation into the explosion and fire aboard a Black Elk Energy production platform offshore Louisiana."

"Our thoughts and prayers are with those injured and missing and their families," Watson said. "BSEE is committed to determining the direct and indirect causes of the explosion and will take appropriate enforcement action."

The Deepwater Horizon blaze killed 11 workers and led to an oil spill that took months to bring under control. Friday's fire came a day after BP PLC agreed to plead guilty to a raft of charges in the 2010 spill and pay a record $4.5 billion in penalties.

There were a few important differences between this latest blaze and the one that touched off the worst offshore spill in U.S. history: Friday's fire was put out within hours, while the Deepwater Horizon burned for more than a day, collapsed and sank.

The Black Elk Energy facility is a production platform in shallow water, rather than an exploratory drilling rig like the Deepwater Horizon looking for new oil on the seafloor almost a mile (1.6 kilometers) deep.

The depth of the 2010 well blow-out proved to be a major challenge in bringing the disaster under control.

The Black Elk Energy platform is in 56 feet (17 meters) of water — a depth much easier for engineers to manage if a spill had happened.

A sheen of oil about a half-mile (800 meters) long and 200 yards (180 meters) wide was reported on the Gulf surface, but officials believe it came from residual oil on the platform.

"It's not going to be an uncontrolled discharge from everything we're getting right now," Coast Guard Capt. Ed Cubanski said.

Hoffman, the Black Elk Energy spokeswoman, said Saturday that there were still no signs of any leak or spill at the platform site.

BP's blown-out well spewed millions of gallons (liters) of oil into the sea, about 50 miles (80 kilometers) southeast of the mouth of the Mississippi River on the east side of the river delta. The crude fouled beaches, marshes and rich seafood grounds.

After Friday's blaze, 11 people were taken by helicopter to area hospitals or for treatment on shore by emergency medical workers.

The production platform is on the western side of the Mississippi River delta. The Coast Guard said more than 20 people were aboard the platform at the time of the fire.

"The company continues to cooperate closely with all state and federal agencies," company officials said in a news release Saturday. "As reported yesterday, this platform was not in operation and had been shut in since mid-August. According to visual reports from this morning, there is no visible sheen in the vicinity of the platform. "

Cubanski said the platform appeared to be structurally sound. He said only about 28 gallons (106 liters) of oil were in the broken line on the platform.

David Smith, a spokesman for the Interior Department's Bureau of Safety and Environmental Enforcement in Washington, said an environmental enforcement team was dispatched from a Gulf Coast base by helicopter soon after the Coast Guard was notified of the emergency. Smith said the team would scan for any evidence of oil spilling and investigate the cause of the explosion.

Black Elk Energy is an independent oil and gas company. The company's website says it holds interests in properties in Texas and Louisiana waters, including 854 wells on 155 platforms.

John Hoffman, Black Elk's president and CEO, said in an email early Saturday morning that he was leaving Houston for Louisiana to assist in the investigation and help the families of the missing and injured workers.

"My entire focus is the families and workers," he wrote. "Nothing else matters at this point."

- AP

Environment Pollution in Nigeria on Saturday, 10 November, 2012 at 18:54 (06:54 PM) UTC.

US oil giant ExxonMobil's Nigerian subsidiary on Saturday said a pipeline had been shut down after an oil spill off southern Akwa Ibom state. The source of Friday's offshore leak had been identified and an investigation launched, the company said without giving further details. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer. Its oil-producing Niger Delta region has been badly contaminated by decades of spills. Spills occur frequently in the region due to a range of factors, including sabotage by oil thieves or militants as well as operational or maintenance faults by the oil companies.

- RSOE EDIS

Delhi’s Air Pollution Worse Than Ever

Associated Press - The Presidential Palace enveloped in a blanket of smog, New Delhi, Nov. 3.

For a few days now, New Delhi has been enveloped in a thick blanket of smog – a mix of fog, car exhaust and manufacturing soot. Add a fair amount of dust and smoke to that.

Air pollution skyrocketed to alarming levels in the city on Wednesday, with the air quality index for PM 10 measuring 1000 in some areas.

That’s bad – even for a city known for its poor air quality.

By U.S. standards, PM 10 measuring more than 201 is classified as “very unhealthy,” and levels higher than 301 are considered “hazardous” to health. Pollution levels exceeding this, “would trigger health warnings of emergency conditions” according to a U.S. government body, which warned that “everyone should avoid any outdoor exertion.”

PM 10 levels measure pollutants with a diameter of 10 microns or less. Air pollution can also be measured in PM 2.5, pollutants with a diameter of 2.5 microns or less.

Over the past week, the air quality index for PM 10 in Delhi ranged from 600 to 800, according to data collected by state-run Delhi Pollution Control Board.

New Delhi’s current pollution levels are higher than those recorded before 2001, when, in a bid to improve air quality, the local government made it mandatory for buses and auto rickshaws to run on compressed natural gas.

In 2000, when the World Health Organization said the Indian capital was world’s fourth most polluted city, its average air quality index for PM 10 was 191.

In 2010, PM 10 was 249, according to data from India’s environment ministry. This makes Delhi India’s most polluted city. In comparison, PM 10 in Ludhiana and Allahabad, estimated to be the second and third most polluted cities in India, were 229 and 218, respectively. That year, major cities like Mumbai and Kolkata had PM 10 averages of 94 and 98, respectively.

Experts note that pollutant levels tend to peak in winter, because it’s drier and less windy than in the summer. But levels touching 1,000 are “shocking,” says Vivek Chattopadhyay, an air pollution analyst at the New Delhi-based Centre for Science and Environment. Mr. Chattopadhyay says PM 10 levels touched 500 in New Delhi last year, but escalating as high as 1,000 “is unheard of,” even by experts, he notes.

How did this happen?

“So far, there is no scientific consensus on the matter,” says Mr. Chattopadhyay. He believes that the mounting vehicle population of the capital is largely to blame.

The are an estimated 7.2 million vehicles in New Delhi – reportedly more than the total number of vehicles in Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata combined.

Reports suggest mass-burning of agricultural waste in the neighboring states of Punjab and Haryana have also contributed to rising pollution levels in the capital.

New Delhi’s poor air quality is already taking a toll on the city’s estimated 12 million people, particularly those susceptive to respiratory disorders. Major hospitals have reportedly recorded a substantial increase in number of patients reporting chronic bronchitis and asthma, among other respiratory ailments.

A state-appointed environment body is scheduled to chalk out measures to curb high rates of pollution in the capital on Saturday.

“There is no cause for alarm. We are looking into the matter,” said an official from India’s environment ministry, declining to comment further.

By Thursday evening, though the dense layer of smog had cleared in most parts of central Delhi, zones across north and east Delhi still recorded alarming levels of PM 10. At 5 p.m., PM 10 recorded near University of Delhi was 910, while the overall level in the capital was still deemed “very unhealthy” by the earth sciences ministry.

- The Wall Street Journal

Environment Pollution in Nigeria on Saturday, 10 November, 2012 at 18:54 (06:54 PM) UTC.

US oil giant ExxonMobil's Nigerian subsidiary on Saturday said a pipeline had been shut down after an oil spill off southern Akwa Ibom state. The source of Friday's offshore leak had been identified and an investigation launched, the company said without giving further details. Nigeria is Africa's largest oil producer. Its oil-producing Niger Delta region has been badly contaminated by decades of spills. Spills occur frequently in the region due to a range of factors, including sabotage by oil thieves or militants as well as operational or maintenance faults by the oil companies.

- RSOE EDIS

eNuus | Vaal Dam Pollution: Minister Should Intervene

eNuus visited several towns in Mpumalanga where raw sewage is being pumped out in residential areas, near schools and in the Vaal Dam.

This is partly because the Lekwa municipality's purification plants have apparently been out of order for years.

Watch eNuus on kykNET, DStv channel 144, every night at 19.00.

Researcher finds new acid water threat

Cape Town - A science student has uncovered continued acid mine water drainage in a game park that could have devastating consequences for plans to build treatment plants.

"I conducted a study in the Krugersdorp game reserve and I looked at what the contamination there is doing," Wits BSc graduate and honours student Kirsten Olsen told News24.

She conducted testing of the contamination in the main river through the reserve and found that the evidence indicated that the aquifer was contaminated.

"We found that, because of various changes in the water, the ground water in the area has to be contaminated as well."

While Olsen was at pains to point out that her study was preliminary, the evidence indicates that plans to build an acid mine water treatment plant may be ruined as water contamination may continue to be a difficulty.

Origin

"That means that even if they build the treatment works further upstream which is what they're planning on doing, it won't matter because the contamination is coming in again," said Olsen.

She said that she didn't specifically test to find the origin of the contamination, but indications are that its source is below the surface of the river.

"It's going to be very difficult because it has to coming up from beneath the river: You can't actually tell where it is," Olsen said.

Acid mine drainage is a result of mining activity where once companies have shuttered their metal or coal mining activities on a particular mine and acidic water flows out of these often abandoned mines.

The water then makes its way to the surface, but it is complex exercise to tell exactly what the origin of the contaminated water is.

"The difficulty lies in the fact that ground water is very tricky when it comes to the surface because it could have several different sources or it could have a single source. It's more likely to be several," said Olsen.

Cost

In May, Water Affairs Minister Edna Molewa announced that treatment plans were in place for the western basin of the Witwatersrand, but warned that it would cost a lot of money.

"[It] will clearly need a lot of money and we need to be creative in how we approach the funding requirement in this regard," Molewa said at the time.

She warned that up to 200 million litres a day of contaminated water may pollute surface and ground water sources.

Environmental organisation the WWF warned that reckless mining practices placed South Africa's water resources at risk.

"The incidence of acid mine drainage (AMD) and the high number of derelict and ownerless (D&O) mines, as well as dangerous sinkholes and collapsing entry points, particularly in the Witwatersrand gold fields, have effectively brought the consequences of inadequate environmental rehabilitation in the mining sector into sharp focus," the organisation said.

Acid mine drainage highlights the challenge facing communities where long abandoned mines have made severe impacts on the environment, particularly in terms of the use of water at mines and in 2009, the Auditor General conservatively estimated the cost of clean-up at R30bn.

Olsen insisted that current plans to build a treatment plant would not suffice to treat the acid mine water.

"It's definitely a concern because the [cur- Follow Duncan on Twitter

- News24

'Don't frack with our Karoo'

Trees in Prince Albert were shrouded in black two weeks ago to protest against fracking in the Karoo. Photo: Leon Nell

PRINCE ALBERT NEWS – Villagers of Prince Albert joined hands with the international community on Saturday 22 September in a world-wide anti-fracking day to voice their opposition against extracting natural shale gas and petroleum resources by fracturing rock (fracking).

A number of trees in the central business district were shrouded in black material with slogans such as "Frack Off," "Frack in Karoo = Death," "I like my ground water" and "Don't frack with our Karoo."

The 14-month moratorium on fracking was lifted by the government earlier in the month after an 84-page report was released by Gideon Steyl of the chemistry department of the University of the Free State (UFS), Gerrit van Tonder of the Institute of Groundwater Studies, also at UFS, and Luc Chevallier of the Council for Geoscience, even though these scientists urged government to tread very carefully.

Fracking has become a contentious issue over the years. One group backs fracking for job creation and the availability of natural resources it provides, while the other opposes the practice due to the dangers of pollution. Those living in the Karoo are particularly concerned that fracking will pollute the most precious of commodities – water.

In Cape Town about 100 protesters marched on parliament, while Treasure Karoo Action Group chairperson Jonathan Deal declared that he was not convinced that fracking was the only way to obtain natural resources. "We have been asking for transparency from various departments," he said. "But we have not heard from them." He also expressed a real concern that the government's judgement had been clouded by the promise off big money by major oil companies.

Fracking has been banned in numerous countries. In America, Sean Ono Lennon, the son of the late Beatle John Lennon and Yoko Ono, became so enraged with a woman on twitter who backed fracking that he told her: "You are an argument for abortion."

- Oudtshoorn Courant

UK design to 'harpoon' old satellites

UK engineers are developing a system to harpoon rogue or redundant satellites and pull them out of the sky.

It is a response to the ever growing problem of orbital junk - old pieces of hardware that continue to circle the Earth and which now pose a collision threat to operational spacecraft.

The harpoon would be fired at the hapless satellite from close range.

A propulsion pack tethered to the projectile would then pull the junk downwards, to burn up in the atmosphere.

"Space has become a critical part of our infrastructure - from weather forecasting and Earth observation, to GPS and telecommunications," said the harpoon's designer, Dr Jaime Reed, from Astrium UK.

"Space junk poses a real threat to these vital services if we do nothing about it, and so it's very important we develop capture technologies to remove some of this material. Studies have shown that taking out just a few large items each year can help us get on top of the problem."

Dr Reed's proposal is for a barbed spear about 30cm in length. It would be mounted on a "chaser satellite" that would edge to within 100m of a junk object.

Pictures sent to the ground would then be used to assess the target, before the chaser was moved to within perhaps 20m to take a shot.

Once the harpoon is hooked through the skin of the rogue satellite or rocket stage, the chaser could either pull on a trailing polymer cord itself or deploy a separate thruster unit to do the job of dragging the aimless drifter towards Earth.
Explosive concern

This is research in its very early stages. The BBC has filmed firing tests of a prototype harpoon at Astrium UK's Stevenage base.

David Shukman sees the experimental harpoon being tested

The company, the largest space manufacturer in Europe, is also pursuing other ideas at its centres in France and Germany. These concepts involve nets and robotic grappling devices. All systems have their pros and cons.

Harpoons could deal well with a satellite that is tumbling, for example, but the approach has its critics because of the fear it could actually add to our problems in space.

"Historically, one of the great sources of debris has been the explosion of fuel tanks in spent rocket stages," explained Dr Reed.

"We obviously don't want to be the cause of that, so our harpoon has a crushable cylinder. It's like a piston, and as soon as the harpoon hits the satellite wall, it rapidly decelerates, ensuring we don't travel right through the spacecraft, puncturing the tanks."

More than 50 years of space activity have left a huge quantity of redundant hardware in orbit.

This includes not just whole satellites and the upper-stages of the rockets used to put them there, but also that debris from fuel tank explosions.

Today, it is said there are more than 22,000 objects actively being tracked.

These are just the big, easy-to-see items, however. Moving around unseen are an estimated 500,000 particles ranging in size between 1-10cm across, and perhaps tens of millions of other particles smaller than 1cm.

All of it is travelling at several kilometres per second - sufficient velocity for even the smallest fragment to do a lot of damage if it strikes an operational space mission.

Two events have really focussed the mind on this issue. The first was China's deliberate destruction of a decommissioned weather satellite using a missile in 2007. The second was the accidental collision in 2009 of the Cosmos 2251 and Iridium 33 satellites.

These two incidents produced hundreds of thousands of new fragments, negating all the mitigation gains that had been made over the previous decades.

Prof Richard Crowther is the UK Space Agency's chief engineer. He says there is a short window of opportunity to get on top of the issue before the number of collisions starts to increase and the problems associated with junk and debris begin to cascade. But he warns that any proposal for satellite removal requires international agreement because these systems could also be viewed as aggressive developments - as space weapons.

"If you've watched James Bond films over the years, you know that anything with a harpoon, with a laser, with a net in space has the potential to grab another spacecraft and destroy it," he told BBC News.

"So, we need to build reassurance within the space community and demonstrate that the systems being proposed are peaceful in their nature but also peaceful in the intent and the way in which they are going to be used."

The Astrium UK harpoon concept is being presented to the 63rd International Astronautical Congress in Naples on Wednesday.

The on-the-ground test harpoon is about 60cm in total length. A space harpoon would not need the winged stabilizer

- BBC

More sewage into Knysna lagoon!!

KNYSNA NEWS - Last week, it was noted with horror that sewage was apparently seeping through the concrete walkway surrounding the Heads' designated swimming area and flowing through the sandy beach into the estuary.

Although the flow seemed clear in colour, there was no mistaking the smell of raw sewage.

James McCarthy, Eden District Municipality's assistant manager of Municipal Health Services confirmed that, after he had inspected the area, it was found that sewerage from a pump station was indeed disposing sewerage into the sea at the swimming area at the Heads. He reported the matter to the Knysna Engineering Department on Thursday, September 20 when he received a complaint from a property owner adjacent to the area.

Knysna municipal manager, Lauren Waring said that the sewage leak was caused when a surge in electricity supply caused sewage pumps to trip. "When the problem was brought under the Knysna Municipality's attention, it was immediately investigated and the problem resolved. The pumps were switched on again and the situation returned to normal."

Waring explained that electricity surges occur from time to time and said that the municipality had no control over these surges, which can affect the pumps that operate on three-phase electricity.

Following last week's leak, a Knysna Head's resident reported that a main sewage pipe in Coney Glen Road had burst on Sunday morning (September 23), "spewing a thick stream of sewage into the road".

The resident added that this had happened at least three times in the past two years. He explained that when the previous sewage spill occurred, it seemed that the sewage pipe had backed up and finally blew the lid off the sump in the garden of a close neighbour. "When it blew the lid off, it blew sewage all over her garden. That time it took three days for the municipality to fix," said the disgusted resident.

According to him, Sunday's sewage leak ran directly into the stormwater drains, "which must have emptied this disgusting sewage into the lagoon". Waring confirmed that a blockage of the sewer main, caused by the roots of a tree in a resident's property, had resulted into the raw sewage spill at the Heads.

"The blockage was cleared and the main temporarily repaired on Sunday." She added that the tree roots have damaged the sewer main to such an extent that it now requires "permanent repairs". Waring further explained, "The repair is being complicated by its situation directly under a stormwater main and will necessitate the removal of the tree as well as diversion of the stormwater main to enable permanent repair."

In conclusion, she reassured residents that the municipality has initiated the procurement process for the permanent repairs.
In Febuary 2010 Knysna's municipal manager at the time, Johnny Douglas said that the sewage pump system at the Knysna Heads was 50 years old.

- KNYSNA/PLETT HERALD

Fracking protesters take message to Parliament

Anti-fracking protesters gathered at Parliament, calling on all South Africans to join them in the stand to prevent “polluting oil and gas industries destroying our people’s land and scarce water resources for their corporate profit”.

More than 100 people protested, with organiser Marina Louw leading the demand for “a renewable, sustainable energy future for all”.

On Saturday was unofficially declared Global Anti-fracking Day, and protests around the world were backed by Sean Ono Lennon, son of Yoko Ono and the late Beatle John Lennon.

Earlier this month, the government lifted its 14-month moratorium on fracking, paving the way for exploration drilling to scout for shale gas resources.

Exploration areas now cover six of SA’s nine provinces.

Last week, the Department of Mineral Resources released the full report on the government’s investigation into fracking.

But the 84-page document, written by Gideon Steyl of the chemistry department of the University of the Free State (UFS); Gerrit van Tonder, of the Institute for Groundwater Studies, also at UFS; and Luc Chevallier of the Council for Geoscience, urges the government to tread carefully.

Meanwhile, Lennon became so enraged with a woman on Twitter who called him and his mother hypocritical that he told her: “You are an argument for abortion.”

Lennon, 36, and his mother recently founded Artists Against Fracking, a group that campaigns against the extraction of natural gas and petroleum by fracturing rock. The group and its cause have attracted major backing in liberal Hollywood.

Last month, Lennon wrote an opinion piece for the New York Times in which he said: “Surely the voice of the ‘sensible centre’ would ask to stop all hydraulic fracturing so that our water, our lives and our planet could be protected and preserved for generations to come.”

Yesterday, Treasure Karoo Action Group chairman Jonathan Deal said: “We are not convinced that fracking is the only way for the government to obtain resources. We have been asking for transparency from various departments, but we have not heard from them.”

He said a decision on fracking would have to include the views of tourism experts, doctors and economists. It would have to be “a more inclusive process so the best possible decision can be made. Once this type of process is established, we should look at the outcomes of fracking, and then make the final decision.”

Deal also expressed fears that the government’s judgment had been clouded by the promise of big money by major oil companies.

Bishop Geoff Davies of the SA Faith Communities Environment Institute said the money promised for fracking should be used to develop natural energy facilities.

“The sun shines every day upon us and the wind blows through us every day, so why can we not use these natural resources for our future? Instead they want to destroy our natural land, and poison our water,” said Davies.


- Cape Argus/IOL

Durban sea water most toxic in world

Ethekwini municipality head of water and sanitation Neil Macleod has questioned research revealing high levels of a toxic chemical in the city’s sea water.

But the scientist, Hideshige Takada of Tokyo University, who recently presented the findings of the International Pellet Watch programme at the Centre for Scientific and Industrial Research in Durban, speaking from Japan yesterday, said he stood by his work which had been peer reviewed and the method authorised in scientific journals including the Marine Pollution Bulletin and the Environmental Science and Technology Journal. His research revealed that Isipingo sea water had the highest levels of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in the world based on levels found on beached industrial plastic pellets.

However, Macleod said the findings were not final and scientists were yet to find out whether the levels found posed a risk. “The findings are not definitive and, because of some uncertainties, are not intended for use in estimating the potential risk of exposure to humans,” Mcleod said. “There is uncertainty on how far the pellets may have drifted before they washed up on the Durban shoreline. The source of the chemicals could consequently be from somewhere distant.”

However, Takada said this had been ruled out. He said when scientists had placed contaminated pellets in distilled water and later removed them, they found the pellets had washed clean, which showed that when the pellets travelled through clean water in the sea the HCH would have been removed. Macleod said recent air quality monitoring had indicated a “relatively high prevalence of HCH in the atmosphere over Durban and it would appear there is a local source of this chemical”.

“The HCH concentration in the water could have ranged between 0.0061 milligrams per litre to 0.00061 milligrams per litre,” he added. The WHO guideline for drinking water is 0.002 milligrams per litre.

-Independent on Saturday/IOL

George Sawmill breathes new life

New technology will harness this smoke into thermal energy for heating. The thick plumes of black smoke only last two minutes.

GEORGE NEWS - The mystery of the black smoke billowing into the atmosphere from the George Sawmill for a few minutes at a time has been virtually solved by modern technology. Certain aspects of the technology are believed to be a first in South Africa.

The increasing global pressure on industry to reduce emissions known as the carbon footprint, has led to the government's announcement of the new Air Quality Act (Act No. 39 of 2004). The Act came into effect on 1 April 2010 bringing South Africa in line with international air emission standards.

In 2009 Cape Pine, previously known as MTO Forestry, had, after a two year investigation, initiated a project at their George Sawmill to implement cleaner burning technology as well as better utilization of the wood residue, a by-product of the sawmilling activity.

The George Sawmill, next to the historic railway station in the centre of town, is Cape Pine's primary mill serving the Outeniqua area and has 350 employees working at this 76-year-old plant.

The company nurtures, tends and harvests extensive tracts of pine plantations in the Southern and Eastern Cape and the Boland. It also operates sawmills in each of these areas.

The George Sawmill, under the leadership of Karl-Heinz Niemand and Johan Dekker, started looking at how to reduce the environmental risks and emission footprint at the mill. The mill has a substantial amount of dry and wet wood waste which is a potential fire hazard and could, through natural decomposition, emit greenhouse gases.

They approached Carbon Sphere, a South African Bio-Energy Company, to partner with them and assist in this problem. Carbon Sphere owns a proprietary Clean Technology that can convert the wood waste into renewable thermal energy and a high quality char product. At the same time it complies with international standards in air emissions. These three factors were very important to Cape Pine, as this would ensure that their operation in the middle of George would become sustainable and environmentally friendly.

Carbon Sphere has subsequently over the past year and a half successfully built their Bio-Energy plant at the mill and it became commercially operational during April of this year. They have had great success with the technology and processes and have converted the dry wood waste into high quality char, while providing Cape Pine with renewable thermal energy in the form of steam for their operational processes.

The char is currently being sold to a major fertilizing company where it is manufactured into a soil conditioner. This contributes to carbon storage.

The company has however confirmed that the project is not 100% complete, as they are currently experimenting with the wet wood waste, which sees them sometimes emitting black smoke for very short periods, due to the emissions not combusting properly.

They are however convinced that they comply with International Standards and the relevant new South African Air Quality Act. They see the plant as being one of the most sustainable and environmentally friendly sawmills, and this South African technology as one of the world's best Renewable Energy Technologies.

ARTICLE AND PHOTO: MYRON RABINOWITZ

Shabangu: No fracking for now

Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu has said that there will be no hydraulic fracturing in the Karoo, for now at least. (Duncan Alfreds, News24)

Cape Town - There will be no hydraulic fracturing in the Karoo, for now at least.

Only "normal" geological exploration will be allowed, the government's multi-disciplinary task team said in a report, the executive summary of which was released by Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu in Cape Town on Tuesday,

"Allow normal exploration [excluding the actual hydraulic fracturing], such as geological field-mapping and other data-gathering activities, e.g. hydrological studies, to proceed under the existing regulatory framework," the document recommends.

The report was endorsed by Cabinet last week. The task team was established by Shabangu in 2011, after she declared a moratorium on hydraulic fracturing in April.

The minister told journalists on Tuesday that some drilling would be involved in the exploration process, but not hydraulic fracturing, commonly known as fracking.

Core samples

"We're talking about the initial process. Drilling will happen... but what we've agreed at Cabinet is that the actual [hydraulic] fracturing... cannot be done now. Dealing with fracturing will come later."

Drilling was necessary to establish the size and potential of the shale gas reserve, she said.

It is understood that other exploration methods will include seismic reflection, involving explosives and recording devices.

Responding to a question after the briefing, mineral resources director general Thibedi Ramontja confirmed that the exploration drilling was for the purpose of obtaining core samples only, and there would be no fracking at all during this phase.

Shabangu said five companies applied in 2010 to explore for shale gas in the Karoo. She undertook to confirm their names later in the week.

Oil giant Royal Dutch Shell, which has welcomed the lifting of the moratorium on shale gas exploration, is among the five.

According to the report's executive summary, there is an estimated "technically recoverable" 485 trillion cubic feet of gas in the Karoo Basin.

The team said an extended ban on hydraulic fracturing would equal a lost economic opportunity.

"While considering the implications of hydraulic fracturing, it is important to note that the effect of an extended ban, moratorium or stringent regulation can best be described as a reduction of economic opportunity.

"Such measures would delay or prevent an improvement of the understanding of the real extent of the potential resource... and remove the potential economic benefit to severely deprived communities in the Karoo."

Among the document's recommendations is that a monitoring committee be established, ahead of the exploration starting, to "ensure comprehensive and co-ordinated augmentation of the regulatory framework and supervision of operations".

It further calls for the current regulatory framework to be augmented.

"The establishment of the appropriate regulations, controls and co-ordination systems is expected to take six to 12 months."

Once this was done, it recommends authorising hydraulic fracturing "under the strict supervision of the monitoring committee".

In the event of any unacceptable outcomes, fracking should be halted.

- SAPA/NEWS24

WWF slams 'ethical' fracking

Cape Town - Ethical extraction of shale gas leaves many questions around the process of hydraulic fracturing or fracking unanswered, an environmental activist organisation has said.

The government lifted the moratorium on fracking in the Karoo on Friday and major oil and gas firm Shell is set to begin the exploration of shale gas within about two years.

"WWF has from the outset of these discussions around shale gas, made it very clear that we have major concerns over the carbon intensity of shale gas extraction," Dr Morné du Plessis CEO of WWF South Africa told News24.

Shell told News24 that the company was committed to ethical fracking practices as it has a long history of business in SA and was concerned about its reputation.

"Don't forget that we are not a fly-by-night. We have been in this country for 110 years as a company so we have a reputation that we have to protect here which obviously we don't want to damage," Jan Willem Egginck, Upstream (Exploration) Shell South Africa told News24.

Harmful impact

According to the WWF, though, there were many questions around the feasibility of the extraction process that included flow back of the gas.

Flow back is the process where the fluids used in the process are allowed to flow out of the wells and captured after treatment.

"If any gas company says that it will extract shale gas in an ethical manner, WWF would want to know whether they can show us any examples where the flow back that happens" results in no damage to the environment, said Du Plessis.

According the WWF, the average methane loss amounts to 1.6% of the total resource and this had a harmful impact on the environment.

"This is not entering into the mindset or equation of any gas company at the moment because they don't calculate that as part of the carbon footprint," Du Plessis said.

Shell has said that most of the reports of water pollution from the fracking process were related to unscrupulous operators that didn't not seal the gas wells properly or did not drill down deep enough to reach the shale.

Typically, gas wells should be sealed with cement at regular intervals in the drilling process and pressure tested to ensure the well's integrity.

Alternative

Water is usually found at a few hundred metres down, whereas shale is far deeper, at around 2km in depth.

Oil companies are eager to present themselves well in the mainstream media and have indicated that shale gas is the ideal alternative energy source while renewable energy improves in technology to be able to deliver high capacities needed for industry.

"The renewable are not yet there. I passed the big Volkswagen and General Motors plant: These plants can't run on renewable energy yet; you need actually a lot of supply," said Egginck.

Du Plessis rejected this argument and warned that the debate would rage for some time.

"We feel a little bit bullied by the big gas companies that put their big propaganda machinery in place and it's very easy to ignore some of the facts that counter some of these glib statements."


- News24

TKAG vows to fight fracking

Plans by energy companies to prospect for shale gas in the Karoo are flawed, anti-fracking lobbyists Treasure Karoo Action Group has said. (Duncan Alfreds, News24)

Cape Town - Plans by energy companies to prospect for shale gas in the Karoo are flawed, anti-fracking lobbyists Treasure Karoo Action Group (TKAG) said on Monday.

"Our research, as well as a legal-scientific review of the environmental management plans of the three current applicants... has revealed fatal flaws," the group said in a statement released at a media briefing in Cape Town.

The briefing comes three days after the government's decision to lift a moratorium on exploring for shale gas in the Karoo, using the controversial method of hydraulic fracturing, commonly called fracking.

Among the companies that have made application is oil giant Royal Dutch Shell.

TKAG said the flaws "mean that the plans of the applicants are at odds with various South African laws and regulations, as well as the Constitution of the country".

The group again vowed to take its fight against fracking to the Constitutional Court.

TKAG chair Jonathan Deal said support, both locally and internationally, for his organisation's opposition to fracking had been pouring in.

"The support we have received locally and internationally since the government lifted the moratorium on fracking... has been overwhelming," he said.

It was clear there was "widespread abhorrence" to fracking.

Deal said hydraulic fracturing had either been banned or restricted in 155 jurisdictions around the world.

- SAPA

Cape Town will remove the Seli 1 after another oil spill

The City of Cape Town has finally issued an official statement on how it once and for all plans to deal with the broken up Seli 1 wreck on Blouberg beach. But it’s not up to them – it’s now up to the National Treasury to issue the funding for the operation.

The City of Cape Town has come out and defended itself for not dealing with the wreck of the Seli 1 in Blouberg sooner. It said in a statement that it had “repeatedly engaged with the Department of Transport and the Department of Environmental Affairs with a view to finding a permanent resolution” for removing the wreck for good. But it appears the two departments failed to meet and engage with the City and relevant stakeholders in February, which may have prevented the latest oil spill from occurring. After all, it’s not rocket science that the Cape gets battered by huge seas and powerful winds in winter.

The City was however adamant that some progress will now be made as a direct result from the continuous engagement and pressure it had been putting on the departments. It said the National Department of Transport had eventually submitted a request to the National Treasury to seek funding to salvage the wreck.

Said Mayoral Committee Member for Safety and Security, JP Smith:

It is unfortunate that these parties did not engage with the City sooner when we requested them to attend a meeting with other relevant stakeholders in early February of this year; and that the issue of the necessary funding for the salvage operation is taking so long to settle. The proactive salvage effort that was suggested by the City and Samsa at that stage would almost certainly have prevented the oil spill that occurred over the weekend.

The estimated cost to remove the vessel stood at R40 million, although this was based on calculations done last year.

Continued Smith:

We eagerly await a response to the request from the National Department of Transport by the National Treasury on the availability of the funding, which will allow us to consider our options thereafter. We must ensure the removal of the wreck as soon as possible to reduce further oil risk, the erosion of the coastline adjacent to the wreck and the visual and environmental impact.

The City hoped the wreck would be removed as soon as possible:

The matter will serve before Cabinet during September 2012 and approval is now being awaited. The City is currently ascertaining from the Department of Transport what progress has been made since the last engagement in respect of investigating options for the wreck reduction.

The City’s position remains that the wreck must be removed in the interests of public safety and the environment. Over 54 endangered African penguins were contaminated by oil as a result of the weekend’s oil spill. Sanccob has advised the City that the birds are currently undergoing intensive rehabilitation before they can be released back into the wild.

The on-going pollution from the vessel is a major concern for Sanccob given that the Table Bay area is one of the main feeding grounds for the African penguin and other seabirds breeding on Robben Island, Dassen Island and the West Coast.

Although this is for the best, there will be many surfers that may not be happy with this decision. Since the seli 1 landed on Blouberg beach, it has been responsible for the formation of 1 of Cape Towns most popular waves for surfers, standup paddlers, kitesurfers and longboarders alike. Most of whom would be happy for the wreck to be loaded with some TNT and leveled below sea level, in the hopes of forming a reef. (the old could last of the oil could be contained and removed) A much cheaper option if you asked me.

- Dirty Habits

Durban beaches toxic - report

Durban - Eighty percent of Durban beach water that was tested during the past year did not meet South African water standards, the Independent on Saturday reported.

The newspaper reported that the city's beach water fell foul of the SA Quality Guidelines.

The tests carried out by the eThekwini municipality's water and sanitation department for the year, ending July, had revealed high levels of E coli and Enterococcus bacteria, which cause cholera and gastro-intestinal illnesses.

The newspaper also reported that Professor Hideshige Takada from the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology said Durban's Isipingo beach had the highest levels of hexachlorocyclohexane (HCH) in the world.

HCH is a toxic compound used as an insecticide on crops and wood and for treating scabies and head lice.

Takada's research was based on samples taken from 200 sites around the world.

Concentrations of HCHs in Durban were 61 nanograms per gram (ng/g), while in Port Elizabeth it was 5ng/g and on the Cape west coast it was 3ng/g.

- SAPA/News24