Mystery water tank sludge worries La Lucia residents

Durban - Residents of La Lucia are concerned about an unusual sludge they have discovered at the bottom of water tanks and fear that it could contain toxic residue related to the warehouse fire at Cornubia during last year’s looting.

UPL, the company that owns the warehouse and has been involved in a huge clean-up operation, told the Independent on Saturday that its experts “consider there to be no possible risk that the deposition is either linked to the Cornubia fire, or to contain any contaminants from it”.

La Lucia resident Linda McGregor said she had reported her find to the eThekwini Municipality which, at the time of going to press, had not received it.

“I want to have this black sludge tested to see what it is,” she said, fearing that it could be toxic.

It was so thick it had to be cleaned using a high-pressure gun, she added.

“If we weren’t allowed to swim in the ocean because of the toxic soot that came from fire, surely to goodness we can’t have it at the bottom of our water tanks that we might even be using for our kids’ veggies, or to even drink.”

McGregor said the sludge was not the same sandy sludge that appeared after veld fires or sugar cane fires that emitted black soot.

“It’s a sticky, black soot. There was a hang of a lot in the drum,” she said.

Nearby resident Rose Darrall also said the sludge in her tank was unlike the usual sandy debris.

“It’s thick and possibly related to chemicals,” she said, remembering the smog during the riots and looting.

City spokesperson Msawakhe Mayisela said: “We are not aware of these complaints, and as a result it will conduct an investigation to ascertain their veracity. Anything that poses a threat to the well-being of our residents would always be a priority.”

The Independent on Saturday