GREAT BRAK RIVER NEWS - There are currently three industries in the town of Great Brak River, east of Mossel Bay, that are regulated through Atmospheric Emission Licences (AEL), issued by the Garden Route District Municipality’s (GRDM) Air Quality Unit.
This is according to a statement from the GRDM yesterday.
Dr Schoeman, manager: District Air Quality Control, at GRDM says: “These AELs have stringent conditions and the industries are mostly compliant with their respective licence requirements.
Conditions
"The industries are regulated through various conditions of their licence, of which the annual emissions monitoring by an independent authority, is a key requirement.
"The industries meet the minimum emission limits, which are established based on factors such as the potential health effects on the surrounding environment.
“Since early 2024, residents from various communities near these industries have reported offensive odours. Some of these industries emit compounds known for releasing an offensive odour and which have a low odour detection threshold,” says Dr Schoeman.
Weather
He further explains: “Weather conditions play a significant role in the dispersion of odours, which tend to be more noticeable during the colder winter months.”
GRDM and the industries acknowledge all concerns and are working together to address them, the GRDM noted in its statement.
Dr Schoeman says that while the industries comply with its minimum emission limits, the companies recognise that offensive odours may occasionally be released. Some of these industries are also regulated in terms of their operating times, to minimise the effect during the night and over weekends.
Committed
In response to these concerns, the industries have committed to best available technology to address the problem of the offensive odours, some of which have already being implemented.
In collaboration with the GRDM, the industries have proposed a phased approach to reduce any odours.
These measures include, among other things, the venting of gas through pipe ducting systems filled with water and odour suppressant liquid to act as a scrubber system.
Rubber curtains
There is also the installation of rubber curtains at building entrance points to address wind drafts, the replacement of old boilers with improved technology with improved combustion and the conversion of manufacturing processes to more energy-efficient technology, which lowers fuel usage and subsequent emissions.
It must also be noted that all these measures come with capital and operational costs and some of these changes do require environmental approval from the relevant authorities before they may be implemented.
Long-term measures
Dr Schoeman points out that “measures requiring authorisation are bound to take longer to implement, however, it is anticipated for the long-term measures to be implemented within the next one to two years”.
There remains strong cooperation between GRDM and industry, and all parties are confident that these measures will effectively mitigate and reduce the offensive odours, the statement noted.
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