The N3 outside Pietermaritzburg has been forced to close during the peak hour of traffic of Friday morning because of thick smoke from the city’s landfill site that has been on fire since Tuesday.
Motorists were redirected to another route as traffic built up and the commuters were unable to see the road clearly.
By 9am, the road was reopened, however there was still a backlog of traffic.
If in pmb . Please be careful. This is the vis on the N3. The N3 is closed at Market road. All surrounding areas also affected pic.twitter.com/UPtGtbQGJA
— Robert Mckenzie (@robz_mckenzie) July 24, 2020
The Msunduzi Municipality said the landfill site set ablaze in Hayfields since Tuesday was “under control”, however residents were outraged as the impact lingered in the air.
Msunduzi municipal spokesperson Thobeka Mafumbatha said that due to the fog from the Msunduzi river, the neighbouring areas were covered with smoke.
“We are still putting out pockets of fire that are left but everything is under control.”
KwaZulu-Natal Midlands environmentalist and resident Judy Bell complained that this is not the first fire and the result of the fire is not healthy and can easily affect an asthmatic patient or a Covid-19 patient in Northdale Hospital.
She has asked the department of water & sanitation to help prosecute the municipality in accordance with the national legislation.
