Black smoke pollutes Knysna

THE Knysna tourism trade is worried that visitors will be scared off by the huge palls of black smoke billowing from Thesen's Island in the centre of the Garden Route town. The smoke is from sawdust being burnt as part of the decommissioning of the sawmill on the island which is making way for a massive marine development. "This blatant pollution will scare away the tourists," said Knysna municipality spokesman Steven Langlands. "We are sending a petition calling on Environment Minister Valli Moosa to put an end to it." No environmental impact assessment (EIA), which is required by law, was done before the incinerator was installed, and no permit was issued to operate the machine. Says Langlands: "We've had numerous complaints from the public, but air pollution falls under the environmental department so we have sent them a fax about the smoke. We're in a smoke-controlled area which means only white smoke may be emitted." The sawmill on the lagoon is owned by Thesen and Co and is a part of the Barlows Group. Thesen's managing director, Stuart Blackstock, said that the smoke problem was being worked on and would be rectified shortly. (Rosemary Wilson)