Who 'nose' when that foul smell will stop?

KNYSNA NEWS - Firefighters worked non-stop for days to extinguish a fire that started on Tuesday last week at the Knysna garden refuse dumping site in Old Place and engulfed the town in foul-smelling smoke. They eventually managed to extinguish the fire on Sunday with the help of the rain.

By Monday morning, the smouldering at the bottom of the dumpsite had been all but doused.

Knysna Municipality issued a notice last week informing residents and businesses owners that the site is closed to the public and that no dumping of garden refuse would be permitted until the fire services confirmed the safety of the site.

The Knysna Ratepayers' Association (KRA) in a statement on Thursday last week said they were concerned about the air pollution caused by the burning refuse site. “The entire town has been covered in smoke for days and the negative impact on the health of the citizens of this town should not be underestimated.

"The poor air quality we are currently experiencing is a risk factor at a time when we are dealing with a respiratory virus, such as Covid-19. We hope the municipality ensures that the fire is extinguished as a matter of urgency,” said the KRA.

In an e-mail discourse on Sunday, in the possession of Knysna-Plett Herald, between Thesen Island resident Andrew Kent and the manager of Knysna Protection Services, Steven Langlands, Kent stated that it appeared nothing had been done to bring the fire under control.

“When the wind blows from the east there is a horrible smell and fine ash which settles over Knysna and we are badly affected at Thesen Island. On Saturday we had to close all doors and windows to prevent the smell and ash from penetrating the house which made for a very uncomfortable night as it was warm,” he said, adding,

“It appears that the situation appears to linger on until a decision is made to sort it out.”

Responding, Langlands said he was hopeful they would have the fire contained before the end of the week. “The fire department has been on site every day to try and reduce the smoke and get to the smouldering sections. The fire chief has requested the Solid Waste Department to procure the services of a digger loader to open up the affected areas so that fire officials can deal with the smouldering sections,” he said.

Smoke coming from the Knysna garden refuse dumpsite on Thursday 5 November. Photo: Tembile Sgqolana

Langlands, who said the site had been set alight by unknown persons, added that the reason for the foul odour is because of the smouldering taking place below the surface.

Calling the stench "unbearable", Old Place resident Rossano Giunti said, "These burns have been going on for years and look deliberate rather than occasional."

Another Old Place resident, Herman Fourie, said they had woken up to a strong odour of smoke rising into the rain clouds blanketing the hillside above the dump.

“The cause of the fire is still unclear, the more likely cause is the small groups of delinquents and petty criminals who used to meet there for smoking illicit substances and then forgetting to douse the small fires they have started,” he said.

According to Fourie, traditionally, the dump has been a source of income to various informal freelancers who help point out dumping spots and assist clients with unloading their waste.

“These informal entrepreneurs have also been making money by recycling items and also by digging up compost from the bottom of the heap and selling it to the public. This trade has now been stopped and the sign at the gate advertising their wares removed,” he said.

He added that it has been suggested that the ancillary activities be regularised rather than closing them down, which would deprive quite a few families of a living, no matter how modest.

Municipal spokesperson Christopher Bezuidenhoudt on Tuesday said they are busy excavating at the site.

"This will take around two to three days… we will only be able to tell when the dumpsite can be open as soon as that is complete and the fire department deems it safe to reopen," he stated.

The garden refuse dumpsite fire was largely extinguished by Monday, but smouldering patches remained. Photo: Tembile Sgqolana