South Africa's fruit and vegetable exports to the EU and the US could be at risk if the pollution problems in the Western Cape persist. The Cape Town Regional Chamber of Commerce says it is imperative that international standards are met in order to remain in the market.
Two years ago, pollution levels in the Berg River were found to be between five and 24 times the EU's permitted maximum for food production. This means that all agricultural industries feeding off the river were affected by the waste water.
"We were given a yellow card that said we must clean up our act... We have improved but still exports could be under threat because, at some point, it could be found that our standards are not up to scratch and we could be given a red card," said the director of the Cape regional commerce chamber, Albert Schuitmaker.
The solution would be to clean up river banks, provide better sanitation facilities for informal settlements and control the discharge of waste. The provincial government says it is aware of the situation and that there is no need to panic as they are dealing with the problem.
SABC
