DA demands release of UPL chemical spill disaster report
The Democratic Alliance (DA) says the KwaZulu-Natal Environmental Affairs MEC hasn't been forthcoming with information about the major fire at a chemical factory in Umhlanga last month and the resultant spill.
The UPL warehouse in Cornubia was set alight by looters during the civil unrest.
It had been storing pesticides, fungicides and other chemicals at the time.
The blaze burned for days, releasing toxins into the air and into the Umhlanga Lagoon.
READ: Adequate fire and containment systems were in place - UPL
The DA in KZN says Durban residents are worried about what they might have inhaled or ingested.
The party's provincial spokesperson on environmental affairs, Heinz de Boer says they've been waiting for the preliminary report on the disaster.
He's accused MEC Ravi Pillay of playing a game of hide and seek.
READ: Hotline set up to report environmental pollution in Durban
"I have personally sent him two parliamentary questions asking for detailed information. Those questions were sent to him just after the fire. And I've sent him one official letter also recently again.
"They have hidden away. They had not made information public. It's taken community groups, advocates and lawyers to put pressure on government and we still are waiting for that report to officially be given to us."
