Dear GAIA Participants,

Deadline: 11 February 2004

Warm greetings to all participating organizations.

South Durban communities in South Africa have recently launched a petition drive urging the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs not to grant a record of decision for the Mondi Paper 90-ton multi- fuel boiler (incinerator). Concerned members of the international NGO community are invited to endorse the said petition, which is part of the people's tireless action to block the controversy-ridden project from being approved and causing harm to public health and the environment.

The South Durban Community Environmental Alliance (SDCEA) is up against the Mondi incinerator for several major reasons. Foremost of which are as follows:

a. The Mondi incinerator will only worsen the quantity and toxicity of pollutants in the environment and go against the citizens' efforts to clean up the air and the surroundings, i.e., campaign to phase out dirty fuels and technologies.

b. The Mondi incinerator will only exacerbate the already high incidents of cancers and respiratory illnesses among residents due to their constant exposure to chemical and industrial pollutants.

c. The Mondi incinerator will pose critical regulatory and enforcement problems, considering the government's lack of capacity to monitor emissions, test releases and enforce operational regulations.

d. The Mondi incinerator will generate by-product persistent organic pollutants (POPs) such as dioxins and furans, undermining South Africa's commitment under the Stockholm Convention on POPs.

In this regard, we are again calling upon you to join the South Durban communities in promoting their environmental and health rights as guaranteed under Section 24 of South Africa's Constitution.

Please ENDORSE the community petition against the Mondi incinerator.

Endorsing groups are requested to respond before 9 February 2004.
Please fill-up this form.

We will also appreciate it if you can circulate this Action Alert to your various network partners and obtain their support and endorsement.

Additionally, we urge you to email or fax similar messages to the Government of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa through Ms. Sarah Allan of the Department of Agriculture and Environmental Affairs. We hope to bombard the government office with messages that will hopefully help them make the correct decisions. Please fax your letter to Ms. Allan at +27 33 3559614 or EMAIL your LETTER here. Please do provide us a copy of your communication with her office.

For further information, please contact Karen Read, SDCEA project officer, Llewelyn Leonard, groundWork healthcare waste and incineration project staff or the GAIA Secretariat.

We hope to win this struggle with your support and solidarity.

Sincerely yours,

Manny C. Calonzo
GAIA Secretariat