Researchers call for transparency, accountability & overhaul of CoCT's wastewater treatment communication
A team of researchers say they've found evidence of repeated denial, interference and misrepresentation of science by the City of Cape Town in response to the contamination of water in the city.
Picture: Pixabay.com
CAPE TOWN - A team of researchers say they've found evidence of repeated denial, interference and misrepresentation of science by the City of Cape Town in response to the contamination of water in the city.
The multi-university study led by UCT (the University of Cape Town) calls for transparency, accountability and an overhaul of the city's wastewater treatment communication.
The research, based on more than a decade of work, highlights how city officials allegedly undermined independent scientific findings about health risks related to sewage in urban waterways and coastal zones.
Epidemiologist Dr Jo Barnes said that a team of independent scientists had a goal to bring evidence of water pollution to the attention of officials responsible for a clean environment.
"So Cape Town's official municipal responses to independent studies that were published in many international journals over this long time have unfortunately been hostile."
The city has refuted the allegations, saying it would review the study and respond accordingly.
"The city has always been very clear and transparent about the challenges we are facing in the space. All of this information is available on the city's website. Thus, the allegations and assertions in the release cannot be further from the truth."
The scientists have called for an end to the same municipal departments managing environmental quality and funding scientific research.
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