MAKHADO (LOUIS TRICHARDT) - The South African Air Force this week reacted to media reports about the aviation fuel leakage at AFB Louis Trichardt. Some of these reports implied that the Air Force had been negligent and may have ignored indications and reports of a possible fuel leak.

The leakage occurred in the base's 26 kilometre-long underground pipeline, which connects a number of underground storage tanks with a total capacity of several million litres of aviation fuel. The pipeline was constructed and installed by a civilian contractor, contracted by the Department of Public Works during 1987 while the base was still under construction. The leak was caused by a poorly welded joint in the pipeline due to poor workmanship, which allowed the fuel to leak through a hole about five millimetres in diameter. Taking into account that the pipeline is wrapped in a plastic lining and buried some two metres underground, it is currently being speculated that the actual quantity of fuel which leaked from the pipeline is far less than the 15 million litres initially reported. An exact figure, however, will be made available after a full-scale investigation. This includes the help of experts in the field of fuel leakages such as that at AFB Louis Trichardt.

The fuel leak and contaminated area are well contained within the centre of the base and there is no visible fuel contamination. There is also no sign of any negative impact such a leak might have had on the fauna and flaura at the base. This, it is said, explains why the residents and farmers in the area were neither aware of, nor affected by the leakage. Despite this, any movement of the fuel plume will be monitored on an ongoing basis and ground water quality will be tested regularly.

The South African Air Force stated that they are committed to the protection and preservation of the environment. In this regard, AFB Louis Trichardt has regularly received national and regional awards for exceptional environmental management and nature conservation, the last of which was awarded as recently as May 2003. The Air Force once again stated that they regret this unfortunate incident, but that they have taken every possible measure to correct the problem as was stated in last week's article.

The Commander of AFB Louis Trichardt, Brig Gen Willie Hartogh, on Monday added to this, also stating that they had done everything in their power to resolve the problem. The leak was repaired shortly after it was discovered some two years ago and not two weeks ago as had been reported in the media. The Department of Public Works immediately appointed a contractor after the leak was discovered in order to commence the rehabilitation process. This was done in conjunction with the Base management, the Department of Water Affairs & Forestry and the Department of Environmental Affairs. The Air Force said it needs to be stressed that the drinking water for human consumption has not been contaminated at all. The water for domestic use is extracted from a source located 17 kilometres away from the Base. Water quality testing is done on a monthly basis, to ensure that the drinking water is not contaminated