Emalahleni Sewage in South Africa

The Emalahleni Local Municipal Council sewage system is in a mess. The Klarinet 2 & 3 pump station was flooded by over two meters of raw sewage when it spilled into the nearby river. Dysfunctional municipal sewage works add to the pollution threats from AMD (acid mine drainage) coming from nearby abandoned coal mines.

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Pollution from Abandoned Coal Mines in South Africa

South Africa is the world's sixth largest producer of coal - and the seventh largest consumer. With shallow coal seams and cheap labor, coal mines have sprung up all over the country. However, there's a hidden cost to mining that only starts when the mine has served its purpose.
There are hundreds of unused, abandoned coal mines around South Africa. Each one is a ticking time-bomb for the environment, mainly due to AMD (acid mine drainage), water draining from the mines filled with sulphate salts, heavy metals and carcinogenic substances like benzene and toluene. This AMD damages wildlife and spreads illness and disease. One place that feels these effects most shockingly is Emalahleni (which means ''place of coal'). The place is surrounded by 22 collieries, plus steel, vanadium and manganese plants. Among the most vulnerable in Emalahleni are the children of the Maguqa community. Their soccer field lies in a small floodplain on the side of a small stream. The stream is dirty and dangerous, filled with untreated sewage from the municipality.

Related Collections:

'The True Cost of Coal' Report

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Unique identifier: GP01KZE

Type: Image

Shoot date: 02/09/2008

Locations: eMalahleni ("place of coal", another name for Witbank city)), South Africa, Witbank

Size: 3872px × 2592px 1.25 MB

Ranking: ★★★★ (E)