Still no word - 24 February 2014

The DWA and DEA have been busy: they’re batting our email from one person to the next while they try to find someone to answer the questions.

The Water Affairs DG’s office passes the query on to Anet Muir, the acting Chief Director for compliance monitoring, the ‘manager for regulation of fracking with regard to the protection of the water resource’. When I follow up, her phone rings and rings.

But bingo!

An email from Environmental Affairs pops into my inbox, only a month after I first dropped them a line:

• water protection is the job of Water Affairs, so I need to take the matter up with them;
• the ‘Environmental Management Programme’, which is currently required to be approved as part of the MPRD (I’m presuming, relating to the Mining and Petroleum Resource Development Act or the associated amendment bill) process, will similarly identify the manner in which spills will be managed. The EMPR is approved by the Department of Mineral Resources prior to the Mining Right being issued’, they say. Noted. PDF from department.

As I read, I am thinking that the department needs someone to copy check their letters as a few typos and grammatical errors have slipped through.

There is zip from the Department of Minerals and Energy though. The voicemails of the two assistants whose numbers I have been given are clogged up with old undeleted messages. It won’t let me leave a voicemail.