EnviroServ responsible for Upper Highway stench: Environmental dept
The Department of Environmental Affairs says EnviroServ's Shongweni landfill site near Hillcrest is the source of the malodour that has been plaguing communities in the area for months.
The department hosted an engagement session with reporters on the issue in Central Durban, earlier today.
The department says it now knows a lot more about the cause of the smell compared to when it began receiving complaints during the course of last year.
The DEA's Mark Gordon says EnviroServ's landfill is the cause of the odour.
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Upper Highway communities claim the chemical smell poses a health risk to them and their families.
The department issued a notice of intention to suspend or revoke EnviroServ's Waste Management License for its Shongweni operations on the eve of a community-led march early last month.
Gordon says the department expects to announce a decision on the issue in the next few days.
Officials say they have received thousands of complaints from the community regarding the smell, with complaints coming to a head around August last year.
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EnviroServ has said previously that it runs a fully-compliant site, adding that it has spent about R15-million trying to remedy the situation.
It says the hydrogen sulphide gas was the result of changes in legislation, something the DEA has disputed.