Veld fire Biggest Contributor on Air Pollution and Climate Change
Ronald Mhlakaza
Veld fires are the biggest contributors to our Climate Change crises. As Communities, we need to learn to protect our Environment by understanding that when you start a fire on the veld, you are not doing any good but are destroying our Environment and the animals that live there. There was a wildfire next to our stream. Someone started that fire during the day, and all that smoke caused air pollution and hurt our Climate.
This is happening in the Mpumalanga Province under Emalahleni Local Municipality at Vosman ext17, where the Community suffered a bad smell of dark smoke. The smoke came in the direction of the Community and they suffered the impacts from the smoke that was caused by wildfire and Air pollution.
This happened so quickly, whereby everyone saw blazing fire coming from the side of the stream and there’s also a high school nearby. They were also disturbed by the fire, but it was too late. There was nothing we could do about it, people should start learning to protect each other from harm.
Whenever somebody starts a wildfire, many people around the area get more affected because of the air pollution. Dark smoke affects everyone especially those who have a problem with sinuses and asthma, because they have to breathe this dirty air. This is because of someone who doesn’t have an idea how much damage he or she caused to others by starting that fire veld.
People from the Community just saw a huge fire that was coming towards the nearby Communities, luckily there is a stream in between the nearby houses and the grass. It’s not easy for the fire to jump to the other side where people stay. Someone told me and I rushed to the scene to see the veld fire for myself, that’s where I saw the danger and negative impacts of that veld fire.
Communities have decided to organize a meeting to discuss these issues so that we have enough coal mines and industries, and coal-fired power stations that are polluting. Community needs to teach each other why we should take care of our Environment before it’s too late because (Imvelo has a way of responding to human negative activity towards it).
The community will start by engaging with the ward councilor and his ward committee about the meeting and they have contacted King Mhlonishwa Mahlangu to assist and Traditional healers to come on board to join the meeting as planned.
