Compiled by Tim Bull
Makana landscape due to change
The latest round of Wind Farm consultation is underway – and this heralds a major change for the landscape to the East of Joza. 66 huge turbines are proposed to be built either side of the N2 covering a distance of nearly 5km starting from the edge of Joza and extending along the ridge in the direction of Peddie. If you want to comment on the plans for Albany Wind Power (Pty) Ltd. to develop, construct and operate a Wind Energy Facility (WEF) the consultation period started on 14th June and ends on 19th July 2019.
Documents, including maps, are available to view at:
www.cesnet.co.za/albany-wind-energy-facility-grahamstown and at Grahamstown Public Library at 45 Hill Street, Grahamstown, 6139.
This is a very substantial proposed development, each turbine having a height of 130m and a rotor diameter of 170m, capable of generating 4.5MW (about 50% more than the turbines at Highlands Road). A network of access roads will be needed for construction and ongoing maintenance, each turbine having foundations covering up to 550 square metres, with additional area needed during construction. Then there will be cabling between turbines and establishment of switching stations, substation and battery storage amounting to a further 100,000 square metres. The total area amounts to 46.19 hectares (after rehabilitation) depending on final layout and whether all 66 turbines are approved.
You are encouraged to see what is proposed. If you have any questions please contact Caroline Evans,
Project Manager Albany WEF c.evans@cesnet.co.za telephone 046 622 2364.
Landfill Site burning again
This is probably the most serious health issue facing people in Makhanda. You may be able to protect
yourself from polluted water, even generate your own heat and power – but you cannot avoid breathing
the air around you. When Makana allows the air to be polluted with poisonous chemicals we have no
defence.
This column would have reported more, but the Grocotts staff have done an excellent job, see GM 14
June 2019, so we just urge you to make your feelings known and to raise your concerns – even a short
email is better than doing nothing.
Grahamstown Residents’ Association has written to DEDEA Compliance and Enforcement Division and you can too. Write to the Head Deon De Villiers: div.devilliers@dedea.gov.za
And please copy your correspondence to info@grahamstownresidentsassociation.co.za
National Arts Festival is nearly upon us
In February Makana Plastics Action Group [MPAG] hosted 3 days of action on single-use plastics and
drew attention to the fact that ‘While we sleep, work, relax – every minute of every day – animals are
ingesting and dying because of the plastics we use.’
The National Arts Festival (NAF) is Makhanda’s largest annual event, drawing thousands of festinos and
traders to Makhanda for 11 days of cultural extravaganza. Whilst we want to see NAF thrive and
grow, MPAG is keen to assist in minimising the environmental impact, especially with regard to wasteful
and damaging use of single-use plastics.
This year, a group of concerned environmental citizens, members MPAG, are driving and mobilising
awareness and action in response to the issue of plastic pollution. Their main focus is to generate a
response towards single-use plastics which are problematic because of the way we use them. Festinos
are encouraged to join MPAG in their efforts and contribute by saying NO to single use plastic items and
help to lower our plastic pollution contributions. Please talk with sellers and stall holders to encourage
them to think about these issues, and congratulate those who have stopped using plastic bags, straws,
cutlery and polystyrene containers.
Single-use plastics are most common in the food and beverage industry, and are typically cheap,
produced in bulk and generally discarded immediately after use as they mostly cannot be reused or
recycled. Items such as plastic bags, coffee stirrers, straws, soda and water bottles and most food
packaging, including take away food containers and plastic cutlery, are used once and then typically
thrown away within a few minutes to half an hour after use. On the whole they cannot be recycled, do
not biodegrade, and take decades to break down into tiny micro-plastics which are spreading into every
part of the environment.
MPAG encourages Festinos to:
*Carry your own reusable cup and water bottle
*Do not use straws –use your lips!
*Balloons are aerial pollution, can’t be recycled and do not decompose
*Carry shopping bags (cloth bags for least environmental impact)
*Talk to traders and request re-usable containers and cutlery or biodegradable disposables.
*Use the separate bins for recycling wastes – which will support our local waste collector Masahlule recycling Performance ‘Untangle Me.’
*Look out for student pop-up theatre artist and his suggestion box –
Modisana Mabale, a RU Drama department MA student who will be at the Marque (Kiddies area)
and at the Busker Village green.
*Like the MPAG Facebook page
*Look out for MPAG’s compilation on the video screens as you buy your tickets at the Monument
Contact and support MPAG (Secretary Sukh Mantel : s.mantel@ru.ac.za)
Every little bit helps, thank you for any support you can give.
Find us Online: www.grocotts.co.za/category/outside/enviro-news
Contacts for Makana Enviro-News:
Tim Bull: timothybull05@aol.com, 076 289 5122 | Ntuthu Blow: ntuthublow@gmail.com, 078 732 9235 |
Jenny Gon: j-gon@intekom.co.za, 046 622 5822 | Philip Machanick: p.machanick@ru.ac.za, 078 882
3918.
