Poisoned KZN Ngagane river water now "back to normal"

"There is nothing new to report. Everything is back to normal," Jaco Prinsloo said. On Monday it was established that a mechanical failure at Karbochem's Newcastle plant caused the spill.

Last week cyanide spilled into a stream near the Karbochem site in Newcastle. The stream flows into the Ngagane river, the source of the area's raw water supplies. There have been no reports of human fatalities, but the spillage did result in the deaths of 12 head of cattle. Prinsloo told News24.com that a mechanical failure had caused contaminated water to leak into the stormwater system. "The equipment has been repaired and steps have been taken to prevent a recurrence." After last week's spillage, the river was flushed and by Friday afternoon Karbochem reported the water was safe.

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