Kriel pollution: Eskom’s foul legacy
The little Mpumalanga town of Kriel used to have just two claims to fame: the mammoth Kriel and Matla power plants. But it’s now achieved global notoriety as the world’s second-largest sulphur dioxide hotspot, after the industrial city of Norilsk in Russia, and ahead of the Zagros petrochemical complex in Iran
26 September 2019 - 05:00
The kitchen window of Virginia and Arwie Nell’s modest home in Kriel, Mpumalanga, offers a view of the mountain-like Matla power station in the distance.
"Some days there’s pitch-black smoke coming out, other days it’s grey, other days it’s yellow," says Virginia. "I have no idea what it is, but there’s definitely an acid-type smell. If the wind blows in this direction, it burns. You cough and your throat is sore."..
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