Illegal sand mining, along with dumping in and around the Philippi Horticultural Area (PHA) poses a huge risk of contamination to the underground Cape Aquifer, the Democratic Alliance (DA) has warned.
At a briefing by the Environment Law Enforcement Unit in the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Environmental Affairs and Development Planning on Tuesday it was revealed that the area is at the mercy of the uncontrolled dumping of building rubble, sewage, and agricultural waste.
“I call on the Environmental Law Enforcement Unit to proactively, monitor, control, and curb these illegal acts in the PHA more proactively as the aquifer is such a prized and necessary public and agricultural water source given the current drought in the Western Cape Province,” said Beverley Schäfer, MPP and DA Western Cape Spokesperson on Economic Opportunities, Tourism, and Agriculture.
“The Constitution of the Republic of South Africa clearly states that the environment must be protected through reasonable legislative measures in order to ensure an environment that is not harmful to the health or well-being of future generations.
“Due to the PHA’s immense potential we must protect and preserve this area and its aquifer from a potential threat of contamination.”
Schäfer, said the DA remains committed to the PHA as a dedicated Agricultural Development Zone as proposed by the Western Cape Provincial Parliament’s Standing Committee on Agriculture.