Tag: environmental damage

French ban on Mercedes angers Germans

mercedesA ban by France’s socialist government on the registration of several top-end Mercedes-Benz models has infuriated the German luxury carmaker and forced Brussels to step in to try to defuse the growing dispute.
Sales of thousands of the most prestigious Mercedes cars have been halted in France since Paris last month refused to allow the registration of four new models that include a refrigerant in their air-conditioning systems that has been banned by the EU on environmental grounds.

The issue escalated late last week when the government invoked an EU “safeguard procedure”, allowing it to act unilaterally to prevent a serious risk to road safety, the environment or public health. It acted after a French court had ordered a 10-day stay of execution for Daimler while the registration block was reviewed.

“The registration of Daimler/Mercedes vehicles classes A, B, CLA and SL remain banned in France as long as the company does not conform to active European regulation,” the environment ministry said.

Daimler said the French decision – Paris is to date the only EU country to issue a ban – was “absolutely inexplicable” and added it would take further legal action as a result.

Officials in Brussels said on Monday they were consulting with Berlin and Paris on the issue and would bring the two sides together in September in a bid to resolve it.

The dispute has highlighted the marked contrast between the state of the car industry in the two countries. PSA Peugeot Citroën, and to a lesser extent Renault, have suffered heavily from a big slump in demand for their mainly small and medium-sized cars.

Daimler, BMW and Volkswagen have, meanwhile, surged ahead, profiting from their premium models that have proved highly popular in emerging markets. France was riled last month when Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, blocked an EU move to impose tougher curbs on auto emissions that would have hit German makers of big cars.

The Mercedes issue revolves around an air-conditioning coolant called R134a which the EU outlawed from January. Daimler argues that the replacement coolant is dangerously flammable.

Jean-Claude Bernard, head of the Association of Mercedes-Benz dealers in France, said the action was politically motivated “to please the greens and damage a German manufacturer”.

The coolant is used in 95 per cent of cars in France with air conditioning.

The association wrote to the environment minister complaining that 11,000 jobs were at stake and demanding an end to the ban. – FT

Huge sewage spill threatens agriculture

Damage that will last a decade

A sewerage spill into the Jukskei river from Northern Waste Water Works is the worst in 25 years.

Environmental consultant and chairman of the Jukskei Catchment Area Management Forum, Paul Fairall, said the sewerage effluent spill started on 24 October. Many environmental and public health activists were angered at the slow response from Johannesburg Water.

“The sewage spill severely raised the level of e.coli in the small river and had a far-reaching affect on the community. It could take decades to resolve as e.coli can live in silt for up to seven years,” said Fairall.

Sewerage had overflowed from an emergency dam number 02, at the water treatment works between the R511 and R114 roads, east of Heronbridge college.

“The Jukskei river is usually a brownish colour, but I have never seen it this black before. The e.coli presence is at the highest possible level.

Joburg Water fits belt presses

Johannesburg Water spokesman Millicent Kabwe said, “The sewerage spill is due to a current [BEE: Black Economic Empowerment] contract to install and commission new belt presses into the existing system. This work caused solids to build up in the system that resulted in reduced treatment capacity.

“The rain season also contributed to overflow and spillage. The problem will be solved once the new belt presses are fully operational and high solids build-up in the system is cleared. If all goes well, the new belt presses should be fully operational by the end of next week.”

Kabwe said several months of backlog in the system would then start clearing and a “great improvement is expected in December.”

Four sludge digesters

Fairall warned Fourways residents to should stay clear of the Jukskei river banks and wetlands. “Only two of the four sludge digesters were working to handle 430 mega-litres of sewage flow per day”.

However, Kabwe said all four sludge digesters were working. Fairall warned Johannesburg Water that when Helderfontein Estate and Steyn City would be fully developed and functional, “this water works would have an even greater volume of sewerage to treat. It needs a more effective system.”

Jukskei, Hartbeespoort, Hennops link

Jukskei river is indirectly linked to Hartbeespoort dam and Hennops River, which could result in e.coli laden water reaching 13 000 ha of irrigation systems in the Pretoria and Brits areas in North-West province.

Fairall said the dam produces a third of South Africa’s fresh produce due to major irrigation schemes at Brits and further north.

Kabwe recognised that the spill could affect Hartbeespoort dam, but said mitigation plans were being explored to prevent this.

She said Joburg Water was monitoring the environmental health of rivers upstream and downstream since the spill started.

Fairall noted that several infomal settlements used water from the Jukskei River. The 10 000 ha Rhenosterspruit conservancy is also downstream of the spill, and chairman Helen Duigan said the Jukskei river was already under severe pressure from tons of littler and effluent dumped into it at Alexandra and Diepsloot. – looklocal